Together in the End
by rnt97
Summary: Jackson and April grew to be best friends after the shooting and they became very close. But what happens when they fall for different people? When they start spending more time together will their friendship become something more? Will they end up together in the end? Japril with a little Slexie and mentions of other couples!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Jackson woke up to his alarm clock going off just like every morning. He groaned into his pillow before reaching over and shutting it off. He rolled over onto his back and rubbed his hands over his face silently cursing himself for not turning his alarm clock off the night before seeing as today was his day off. He loved his job at the hospital of course but being a surgeon and constantly being on call made him really appreciate his days off. The days where he should be able to sleep in, but then again he was an Avery and they were not a family to waste the day sleeping.

He sat up and leaned against the headboard and let his eyes adjust to the sun light coming through the blinds. It was still early so the sun just rising but his room was in just that right position of the house where the sun light when rising or setting could blind him. As he got up to find a clean pair of clothes to change into he smelled coffee brewing downstairs in the kitchen. He knew that all of his roommates also had the day off so he wasn't sure who would be up this early. He chose a grey t-shirt to wear and pulled on a pair of jeans and realized that Alex probably spent the night with the nurse from the 3rd floor that he's been hitting on so it most likely wasn't him downstairs making coffee. That just left the two girls. As far as he knew Lexie and Mark were separated again so she would most likely be home and he knew for a fact April was home if only for the simple fact that he drove her home last night because she finished her shift just as he did.

He decided he didn't want to waste this perfectly good day off alone so he made his way downstairs to see who was up to talk to. He didn't think either one of the girls were big morning people so he was surprised to find April standing in the kitchen scanning the fridge. She still had on her pajamas, an old college t-shirt and plaid shorts, and he noticed her hair was in the same braid it was in the night before.

"Good morning," Jackson said and wasn't surprised in the least to see April jump a little. She obviously hadn't heard him coming and she was easily scared which made it really easy for her roommates to sneak up on her at any time.

"Gosh Jackson, you scared me! I didn't know you were up. I hope I didn't wake you," April said as she stepped away from the fridge to check if the coffee was ready.

"No, don't worry you didn't. We Avery's are naturally early risers. I am surprised to see you awake though. I thought we all had the day off. Why aren't you sleeping in?" He questioned as he watched her grab some mugs from the cabinet.

"Yeah, I do have the day off you're not wrong. I just didn't get the best night's sleep and decided to stop fighting it and just get up. Coffee?" She held out the cup to him.

"Thank you. Why couldn't sleep? I thought the nightmares were gone."

At the mention of that she cast her gaze to the floor. Ever since the shooting April had nightmares. At first it was every night, she'd wake in a cold sweat panicking, but as the months passed it got to be less and less. She told Jackson they had stopped even though it still happened every now and then especially after a hard shift. Working at a hospital no shift was ever easy but occasionally she would get put on a case that was just a bit a rougher than she'd like. Whether it be the trauma she actually had to tend to or the patient being particularly difficult. Jackson was the only one that knew about the nightmares just like she was the only one to know about his.

This was because they were roommates at the time. Not roommates like they were now with Lexie and Alex in Meredith's old house. They were roommates along with Reed and Charles before they died in the shooting. The four of them had lived together since they all got internships at Mercy West before the merger. Jackson and Charles were best friends just like April and Reed. They had a really rough time getting through the aftermath of the shooting. Their rooms were right next to each other's and any time one of them would wake up in the middle of the night the other one would be right there to comfort them. They became really close during this time and they were now each other's best friends. They felt like they had known each other their entire lives when it was actually just a few years.

"I still get them sometimes," April answered quietly. She didn't want Jackson to know. After they moved in with Lexie and Alex she wanted to move past it all and didn't want him to have to worry about her all the time. So she lied and told him they were gone. But she didn't want to lie to him now.

"What? Why didn't I know this? You know I would've been there for you." Jackson said with a little hurt but more with sympathy and comfort.

"Exactly why I didn't tell you." He looked confused. She sighed and looked up at him "I don't want you to worry about me anymore. I'm okay…most of the time. I just want to get past it all and with you worrying about it me I'm afraid I won't ever be able to really move forward. But I'm okay really." She wanted to make sure he knew this.

"Okay, if you're sure," he sighed. He was a little hurt that she didn't tell him but he could understand where she was coming from so instead of pressing the issue he decided to take her mind off it and change the subject. "You got big plans for this day off?"

"Oh yeah. Huge! I was thinking just of just hanging around the house, watching movies and ordering in food." She answered sipping some coffee from her cup.

"Being lazy is really how you want to spend your day off?" He mocked disappointment.

She expected a response like this from him. "Well yeah it's my day off. Why would I want to do anything that requires work or moving? Also it's supposed to rain all day so it's actually the perfect plan.

"I see your point. Okay, I'm in!"

"Oh great I was hoping you'd be! So let's start with breakfast. I mean it is the most important meal of the day right?"

"Right."

"Great! You whip something up and I'll go take a shower. Thanks." She ran out of the kitchen and to the stairs before he could argue.

"Wait. April!" He called after her but it was too late, he could hear her giggling on her way up the stairs. She was always able to trick him into this stuff. He honestly couldn't complain much because he enjoyed cooking sometimes. Only sometimes because he hates cooking for large crowds or holidays. But on their days off it was often that he could be found in the kitchen making food for him and his roommates.

He heard the shower water running upstairs and decided to start on breakfast. He went to the fridge and noticed they were running low on some essentials and made a mental note to go grocery shopping. He decided to make scrambled eggs and pancakes. Nothing fancy but perfect for a rainy day off and it was easy to make enough for everyone.

About twenty minutes later Jackson heard the girls chatting on their way down the stairs. It was perfect timing because he had just finished setting out the plates of food and refilling coffee cups.

"It smells delicious! What did you make this time?" It was Lexie asking this. She walked into the kitchen and took her normal seat at the island.

"Good morning to you too sleeping beauty." Jackson responded noticing that she was still in her pajamas and her brunette hair was pulled into a messy bun.

"Haha very funny. Not everyone wakes up at the crack of dawn on their day off and besides 8:30 is not that late." She teasingly stuck her tongue out at him. "But yes, good morning." She smiled and sipped her coffee.

"I made scrambled eggs and pancakes. Enjoy!" Jackson said as he sat down to begin eating. "Oh yeah we need to go shopping we are getting low on some things."

"Eh we'll deal with that another day. Let's just enjoy the day. I filled Lexie in on our plans for today and she's in." April smiled happily and picked up another bite onto her fork. "Great breakfast by the way."

The morning passed as they finished up breakfast and Lexie and April did the dishes which only seemed fair considering Jackson did all the cooking. They soon retreated to the living room and Jackson put on an old basketball game to listen to as the girls continued on gossiping about the lives of their fellow surgeons. They landed on Alex seeing as he wasn't home yet.

"So he must've been successful this time," Lexie said referring to Alex's futile attempts at asking out the cute nurse from the 3rd floor.

"What makes you say that?" April asked kicking her feet up on the coffee table in front of her.

"I mean he's not home yet so I figured he must've stayed over with her..what's her name?" Lexie wondered.

"Pretty sure it's Olivia," Jackson chimed in.

"And how do you know this?" April gave him a smirk. "Fraternizing with the nurses, are we?"

"Oh come on you know me better than that. You know I only go for the attendings," Jackson joked back. "No, seriously I know most of the nurses names. You have to. If you aren't nice to the nurses they can make it hell for you."

"Right. But I don't know about Karev. He's struck out too many times with her I think. He probably just went to Joe's and picked someone up there," April continued.

"Well what do you think, Jackson?" Lexie asked dragging him into it. He always claims to hate gossiping but they all know he secretly loves it.

"Sorry, Apes. I'm gonna have to go with Lexie on this one. Alex is one of my friends so guy code says I need to have his back on this." Jackson gives.

"Fine," April sighs but quickly moves on. "What do you think about Christina and Owen?" And this is where Jackson tunes out again and goes back to the game on the screen.

The girls go from Christina and Owen to Meredith and Derek and even onto Callie and Arizona before April mentions Sloan's name. Lexie carries on with the conversation but a little less enthused than before which does not go unnoticed by April.

"So I guess you two are off again?" April asks Lexie looking over at her past Jackson who was between them on the couch.

Jackson remains quiet but listens intently while pretending to be focusing on the game still. Jackson has been low key crushing on Lexie since the first time her and Sloan were apart. Mark and him worked Plastics together and had him be the sort of messenger between him and Lexie during their first break. This is when the crush began. He hadn't told anyone and he didn't think he made it obvious. He's sure that April would have caught on to it and asked him about it by now if he had. He never acted on this crush though because one they were roommates and he didn't want to make anything awkward and two he and Mark were becoming friends and he did not want to jeopardize that.

"Yeah I guess so. I mean I'm not that sure this time. We had a fight about Callie being pregnant with his kid. I thought I had a pretty good reason to be a little upset about that and need some time to figure out where I stood but he seemed to be in a more of a rush to get me on board with basically being a step mom figure. So we had an argument which turned into a fight which turned into me walking out before we settled things and I just don't know where we stand." Lexie explained setting her coffee down to hold her head in her hands.

"Aw Lex I'm sorry. I mean I've never been in that situation so I can't imagine how this must be for you. Have you tried talking to him about it?" April looked at her sympathetically.

"It's been over a week and he won't talk to me. At least not about this. If I'm on his service it's only about the case and nothing more. I think he's pretty upset I walked out." Lexie leaned into the arm of the couch.

"Well maybe Jackson can get some information out of him." Jackson's head snapped up at the mention of his name. "You two are kind of friends, right?"

"Uh yeah, sure right." He stuttered out not sure how he felt about helping the girl he liked get back with the man she loved.

Before anyone else could say anything on the subject Alex walked through the front door. They all turned to see him stumbling a little towards the staircase. Whoever he was with he was definitely wearing the same clothes he left the hospital in last night. He didn't seem to notice them staring at him trying to figure out if his latest lay was Olivia or not so Jackson finally spoke.

"So? What happened with the nurse?" He asked pretending to have forgotten her name.

Alex looked over at them seemingly a little hungover and beamed at them. "She said yes! I knew she couldn't resist me for long!" He was so excited about it that the three of them on the couch couldn't hold in their friendly laughter and congratulated their roommate on his recent success. Once he was up the stairs and they heard the shower turn on Lexie turned to April.

"I knew it!" And April, although she was wrong, laughed when Jackson and Lexie high fived each other.

She could tell that today was going to be a fun day off.

 **A/N: I hope you liked the first chapter! I am sticking with the main personalities of the characters and some of the show's storylines but not all. Lexie and Sloan are still alive (and I have no plan to kill them off) yay! Alex is not quite as much of an ass as most people write him and I don't think I'm going to have April be quite so shy and religious. I mean I know that's her personality so I don't want to take it away completely but just enough so it's not quite so annoying and she can have more fun and let loose! Let me know what you think by reviewing! The more reviews the more likely I am to update faster!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and follows I really appreciate it! To krista: I like your suggestion! I think you will like this chapter for one of your requests ;) but I have ideas for the baby so I'm not going to promise anything but I will consider it!**

 **Chapter 2**

It had been a long day at work. At least that's the way Jackson felt and he was pretty sure most of his resident friends felt the same way. All day he seemed to be running into Lexie, going to fetch labs, passing by in the hallways and stairwells, and even in the cafeteria. He would steal glances and watch her when she wasn't looking. This wouldn't have been such a big deal if he hadn't been on Mark's service all day. He and Mark were really starting to get close since Jackson told him he was really considering Plastics as his specialty. But as the two men grew closer Mark started telling him more and more. This included details on his personal life which meant Lexie.

Mark knew that they roommates and was using that to his advantage. He would ask if Lexie had been talking about him and asked him to say good things about him around the house to try and make Lexie go back to him. This was not easy for Jackson because of his feelings for her but for the sake of his education he told Mark he would try to help him out.

So when they all got to the locker room to get ready to head home Jackson invited everyone to Joe's. He thought that maybe with a few beers in him he'd be able to talk to Lexie without feeling so nervous. Everyone agreed to go and together they walked to the bar across the street from the hospital.

"I had a good day today guys so I'm feeling generous, first round's on me!" April said as they entered the bar. No one was in the mood to protest free beer so they let her go to the bar and get their drinks.

"I think I see a free table over here," Lexie said and Jackson and Alex started following her there. That is until Alex notices Olivia on the other side of the room looking pretty cozy with tall blonde guy.

"Oh hell no," was all he said before he headed over in that direction.

Jackson and Lexie just laughed and shook their heads as they watched their friend confront the nurse he'd been sleeping with.

"And then there were two," Jackson said as they took their seats. They sat across from each other and Jackson was just admiring her.

"So how was your day? You with Sloan right?" Lexie questioned trying not to sound too needy about her maybe ex-boyfriend.

"Yeah, I was. We had pretty easy cases so I'd say today went pretty well" he answered deciding not to mention Mark asking about her yet.

"That's good. I was with Callie so you just imagine that awkwardness," she laughed awkwardly and looked down at the table for a second.

"I can imagine. But you didn't look like you were feeling uncomfortable at all today." Jackson said without thinking and quickly looked away from her when she gave him an odd look.

"How would you know what I looked like today?" She asked with that same confused look. Maybe she hadn't noticed him in the hallways when he had noticed her.

"Oh, uh I mean we passed each other in the cafeteria and you seemed okay." Jackson stuttered out ignoring the look he was getting from her suddenly remembering why he wanted to come here in the first place. Alcohol. "What is taking April so long anyway?" He changed the subject they both looked towards the bar to see what the delay was.

"It looks like April made a new friend," Lexie smirked noticing the guy standing a little too close to April to just be friends.

"Who is that guy?" Jackson asked aloud feeling the tiniest bit jealous but not recognizing the feeling as such.

"I don't know his name, but I think I've seen him around the hospital before." Lexie answered. They were still watching the interaction. He was definitely flirting with her and the two of them could both see April's blush creeping up her face.

"Well he's not a doctor or else I would know him." Jackson said a little judgingly.

"No, I think he might be a paramedic I tend to always see him around the pit."

"She seems nervous should we go over there and help her out?" Jackson asked. Although he couldn't see it Lexie smirked at how protective he was being towards her.

Knowing that if Jackson went over there he would most definitely intimidate this innocent cute paramedic Lexie volunteered. "I'll go. You stay here and try not to scare the poor guy away."

She got up from the table and started walking toward the bar. Jackson was suddenly distracted by watching Lexie walk away and forgot about the whole thing long enough to turn back around and not worry anymore about it.

When Lexie reached the bar she casually walked up and stood next to April. She had no intention of actually breaking up the conversation until she could tell April wanted out. She just listened in to see what was going down.

"You handled that trauma really well today, April" he gently placed his hand on her knee just to get a feel for what she was feeling about him. She didn't flinch or push him away so he took that as a good sign.

She blushed "Oh it was nothing really. Just doing my job" she never knew how to respond to compliments she always felt undeserving of them or felt like they were making fun of her.

"I know I saw you come in here with friends so I don't want to keep you, but I was hoping that you might say yes to going out to dinner with me sometime. I know you must have a crazy schedule so whenever it's best for you." He started rambling and April giggled.

She could feel her blush burning her cheeks. She was so nervous and now so confused. She must have heard him wrong. This really attractive and really nice guy was not just casually flirting in a bar but wanted to go out with her? There's no way. "Um I don't know. I'm really busy with work and everything," she stuttered out a response.

He didn't look defeated at all even though she basically just rejected him. That's why she didn't understand why his smile just grew. "How about this, I'll give you my number and you can give me a call when you're available. And besides I know where you work so I can just ask you again the next time I see you." He joked while writing his name and number down on a napkin.

He handed her the napkin and she took it from him. "Okay" was all she could get out.

He chuckled a little and patted her arm before saying "It was nice bumping into you. I hope to hear from you soon." Then he turned around and walked away leaving her with the napkin and his charming smile.

As soon as he was out of ear shot Lexie turned to her. "He's so cute! You have to go out with him!" She grabbed the napkin from her to see his name. "Matthew." She read aloud as they started walking back to the table Jackson had been sitting alone at since Alex had gone off with Olivia.

April set the beers on the table and just said, "Sorry for the wait" not bothering to look at Jackson because she knew he was going to start asking questions. He was like an over protective brother that way. She liked it most of the time because it made her feel safe when he was around but when it came to guys she liked she just wished he would ignore it.

"Oh no. Don't think you're getting off the hook that easy. I saw you over there. Start talking. What's his name? What's he do? What were his intentions?" Jackson pressed.

She couldn't help but laugh at that last part. "His intentions? Seriously, Jackson." April said still not answering either of them.

"Seriously, April." And he was serious so she knew she was going to have to tell him. When she hesitated still he continued "You might as well just tell us because I won't stop until you do and that won't be fun for any of us." April nodded and took a swig of her beer before she finally decided to tell him.

"His name is Matthew; he's a paramedic so you've probably seen him around the hospital at times, he's really cute and very nice and he asked me to dinner. There that's all." She slumped back in her seat next to Jackson and took another drink of her beer.

"Wait no, that can't be all because you didn't say what your answer was or explain the napkin." Wow was he pushy or what?

Lexie could tell she didn't want to talk about so she answered for her. "She said she doesn't know when she'll be available but he's so sweet he wrote down his number so she could call him when she's free." She smiled. She loved seeing couples get together, she was such a romantic. Now if only she could work out her own relationship.

Before Jackson could respond they all heard the bell on the door ring signaling the arrival of more people. They turned to see who it was but the voices alone gave it away. In walked Mark Sloan and Derek Shepherd. Jackson's face fell while Lexie started getting fidgety.

Evidently the two attendings noticed the three of them sitting together because soon Mark was making his way over to the table. Lexie quickly chugged the rest of her beer thankful that Alex left with Olivia so she had another one to sip. There was an open seat next to Lexie so of course Mark helped himself to it and started up a conversation.

"Avery! My man!" He greeted his friend with a smile. "I didn't expect to see you here." He took a drink of his own beer.

"Yeah well April here was feeling generous and I couldn't say no to free drinks" He responded but he could tell he was way more interested and the brunette sitting right next to him.

"Oh great," He said distractedly then continued "Hey would you two mind if I take Lex away for minute." Ah the real reason he came over.

April shrugged and Jackson didn't have any excuse ready so Lexie and Mark promptly walked off towards a booth in the back. Jackson was still able to see them from where he was sitting and April caught him staring.

"You're doing it again," she teased as she bumped shoulders with him to get his attention.

He turned away from the booth and to look at April instead. "Doing what?" He played dumb.

"Oh you know what. Staring at Lexie again." She said as she motioned to a waitress to bring them more beers.

"What? No I'm not." He denied it.

April sighed. "Come on Jackson. I see things; I have eyes. You're totally crushing on her."

He downed his beer and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, well it doesn't matter anyway because she's in love with Mark and Mark's in love with her. Everyone can see they're meant to be. But stupid me can't help but fall for the girl who's dating my friend who happens to also be my boss!"

April rubbed his arm in a comforting way. "Hey, they're just talking now. Maybe it's over maybe you'll get your chance." She didn't blame him for not believing her because she didn't believe it either. The two of them were so meant to be and it just hurt her to see her best friend hurting over it.

"Yeah, I guess that's why they're leaving together then." He sighed and pointed to the exit when April gave him a questioning look. And there they were making out as they were trying to make it out the door.

"Alright let's get you drunk!" and she jumped up to grab more drinks from the bar.

April spent the next two hours helping Jackson drown his troubles with alcohol. She knew they had work the next day so she made sure he didn't get drunk off his ass but when he started stumbling over some words and going off about Mark she decided it was time to go.

Once they were home April led Jackson over to the couch and helped him sit down before she sat down next to him and leaned into him. They sat in a comfortable silence like that for a couple of minutes until Jackson suddenly spoke up.

"Hey Apes." He looked down at her.

"Yeah?"

"How come you didn't say yes to Matthew? I mean I could tell you were in to him so why didn't you say yes?" He asked her softly.

April looked down at her hands and sighed. "He didn't mean it."

"What do you mean?"

"Guys like him don't go out with girls like me. He was just messing with me. If I were to call him he would just turn me down." April said biting her bottom lip, which Jackson knew was a nervous habit of hers.

"What do you mean girls like you?" He was still talking softly in a comforting tone but he was getting serious.

"He's attractive and smart and really nice. And I'm just me. April Kepner. The girl that no one liked and everyone finds annoying. I'm not good enough, pretty enough for him." April still wasn't looking at him.

"Hey. No, you don't get to talk like that about my best friend. Look at me." She hesitantly looked up at him. His eyes were so blue and so serious. He looked directly at her and continued. "You are not just April Kepner. You are Dr. April Kepner. And he's just a paramedic. You are smart and funny and beautiful. And how dare you say no one likes you. What does that make me, huh? Now smile for me I don't like negative April." He said and gave her a small encouraging smile.

Looking into his eyes she couldn't help but smile. He always knew the right thing to say to cheer her up. "So you think I should call him tomorrow?"

"Hell, call him right now!" He said suddenly reaching for the phone. April laughed and pushed him back on the couch.

"It's 1 in the morning I can't call him now. You're crazy." She then went back to being serious "but really thank you, Jackson. You always know how to cheer me up." She smiled and gave him a side hug.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders he pulled her close and hugged her backed. "Hey that's what friends are for."

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! I keep coming up with ideas so I'm excited to see where this will go. Leave me a review and let me know what you want to happen! I'm open for suggestions. Thanks for the reviews on chapter 1 I love knowing that people are reading this. Hopefully chapter 3 will be ready soon! Follow this story to be notified when I update.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

April groaned as she walked into the house with her roommates following closely behind. "I'm late! I have no time to get ready and I haven't even showered yet. Oh God, I haven't even picked out an outfit!" April was freaking out about her first date with Matthew. She had called him that next morning and set up a date for the following Saturday, which was today. She had exactly one hour until he was supposed to pick her up and take her out to dinner and she had just gotten home after being stuck in surgery all day. She loved her job, but she hated the way it made her smell afterwards. She needed to shower ASAP.

She noticed Alex walking up the stairs and she ran after him. "Oh no, Alex, don't you even think about getting in that shower before me!"

"But I was in surgery all day I need a shower I stink!" He pulled out his shirt for her to smell as proof. She scrunched up her nose and kept on her way to the bathroom.

"Newsflash Alex, we were in the same surgery and last time I checked you don't have a date tonight. So I get the shower first." She emphasized the last word by slipping past him into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

She quickly washed her hair and body and thought she was done before she remembered that she was going on a date. With a man. An attractive man. She had to shave. Everything. Although she had no plans to sleep with him on the first date she always believed in being ready for anything.

About 10 minutes later she was stepping out of the bathroom with her towel wrapped around her to go back to her room and pick out an outfit when she ran straight into someone walking down the hallway. She jumped back and held her towel tightly shut as she realized she just walked right into Jackson in nothing but a towel. Before he could notice her blush creeping up her cheeks she got past him into her room. She closed the door and then called out "Sorry!"

She could hear Jackson chuckling outside the door. She ignored it went straight to her closet to pick out an outfit. "Ugh! What do I wear?" She asked aloud frustrated at her lack of clean clothes.

To her surprise she heard Jackson answer her through the door not realizing he was still out in the hallway. "Black dress, silver earrings, minimal makeup, hair down."

"What the..?" How did he know all that? She decided to not ponder it much and just take the advice.

20 minutes later she was walking downstairs feeling confident that she was ready for this date. She's dated before so she's not too worried especially since she looked in the mirror and realized how right Jackson had been about her outfit. She had on her simple but elegant black dress with strappy, but not slutty, black heels, and she had left her hair natural figuring that straightening it would have made her look too done up. She only had on a little mascara and light pink lip gloss to add some color back to her face.

"So, how do I look?" She asked once she was standing in front of everyone in the living room. She did a little turn so they could see the whole look.

"You look beautiful, April." Lexie smiled at her and handed her a nice black jacket that went with the outfit.

"You clean up nice, Kepner" Alex surprisingly chimed in.

"I have great fashion sense," Jackson said admiring his choice of outfit.

"You may have missed your calling Avery." April teased. "Thank you for the help. I feel a lot better now that I'm not second guessing anything.

"You'll be fine, April. Go have a good time." He stood up and gave her a small hug before walking her to the door that had just been knocked on.

She opened the door and smiled when she saw Matthew standing there waiting for her. Before she could say anything other than hello though Jackson opened the door a little wider and leaned against it. Matthew and Jackson eyed each other for a minute before Matthew ignored him and turned back to April.

"You look amazing" he complimented and April could see Jackson's smirk.

"Thank you." She smiled. "Shall we go?"

"We shall." He answered.

"I expect her home by 12, buddy" Jackson said eyeing Matthew intimidatingly to make sure he knew he was serious.

"Sure man, whatever." He laughed a little trying to ease the tension a bit.

"I'm expecting left overs!" Alex called out from his spot on the couch.

"You pig!" April called back.

Jackson just shook his head at the interaction and began closing the door. "Have a good time."

And the last thing he heard before he shut the door completely was April saying "Sorry about them," referring to him and Alex.

He walked back to the living room to join his two roommates.

"Could you be any more protective? You're going to make the poor guy run to the hills before he even has a chance." Lexie teased.

"If all it takes to scare them off is me caring about April's wellbeing then they aren't right for her any way." Jackson explains.

"But dude you're acting like how a father should act. That's not right. Just lay off the guy a little bit. I mean I care about April too but you didn't see me hovering over the front door. I'm not saying don't care but just take it down a notch." Alex chimed in.

Jackson should his head. "Whatever you say. I'm going to go get a shower now." He got off the couch and headed towards the bathroom.

When he was in the shower he couldn't keep from wondering why he did care so much. He didn't want to scare April's dates away, he wanted April to be happy and if this paramedic guy makes her happy then he should be happy for her right? But he just couldn't shake the feeling he had in his gut. He just shrugged it off and pushed the thought aside.

When Jackson got back down stairs to find food he noticed that Alex and Lexie were both nowhere to be found. He was confused until he looked at the clock above the stove and saw that it was a ten thirty and figured they must've just gone to bed.

He walked over to the fridge to see what leftovers he could heat up and came across week old pizza. He lifted the lid and inspected the pizza to make sure it was safe. After sniffing it he deemed it good enough to eat and stuck a few slices in the oven to reheat.

When it was ready he plated it and grabbed a beer from the fridge before heading to the living room to watch some basketball. All the games were old but he eventually settled on one that he knew had an outcome he liked. He finished eating and soon found himself drifting off to sleep on the couch.

April walked through the door at exactly midnight. She knew she didn't have to follow Jackson's silly rule but she still got satisfaction from it any way. She had a really great date with Matthew which put her in a good mood. He had taken her to a really nice Italian restaurant for dinner and a really cheap ice cream stand for dessert. Both meals were delicious. She even had some leftovers that she'd put in the fridge for Alex. She walked past the living room to the kitchen to put the food away. She was so lost in her thoughts about her date that she didn't notice the TV was on until she was walking back past it on her way upstairs. As soon as she heard the shoes on the floor squeak and the sound of a basket being made she knew that she would find Jackson on the couch. This happened quite often actually. He would find some food and a beer and sit down to watch one game or one show and the next thing you know he's asleep. It happened more when they lived together with Reed and Charles and April was always the one to get him to go to bed.

She peeked around the doorway of the living room and saw Jackson sleeping peacefully on the couch. He slept with his mouth open but was never one for snoring. He was a pretty quiet sleeper besides the fact that he'd leave the TV on. April found herself admiring just how peaceful he looked laying there. She almost hated to wake him but she knew if she didn't get him to his own bed he'd wake up grumpy and complaining about his back just like an old man.

So she quietly walked over and sat on the edge of the couch next to him and started rubbing his arm. She was never one to dramatically wake someone; she found it rude and uncomfortable for both people involved. So she just sat and rubbed his arm until eventually his eyes fluttered open. He was a little groggy at first but when he saw April he smiled.

"How was your date?" He asked still half asleep.

"It was perfect. He asked me out again actually." She smiled thinking about earlier in the night.

"That's great Apes. I'm happy for you." His mouth smiled but his eyes were once again closed.

"Okay buddy how about we get you to your own bed. Does that sound good?" She found the remote wedged between his leg and the couch and turned off the TV.

He groaned a little bit at the thought of getting up. "Help me." It was less of a question than a command. April took his hand when he offered it and helped him into a sitting position and then a couple seconds later helped him onto his feet. "Thank you." He said as he leaned on her for help up the stairs.

"That's what friends are for right?" was April's response. They made it to his room and she slowly helped him into his bed but he never let go of her hand. "Uh Jackson," she tried lightly tugging her hand to indicate that she needed it back.

Instead of letting go of her hand he asked "did he kiss you?"

She looked down at him and saw that he was watching her with one eye open. "Yes." She answered with a small smile.

"Good, he should have." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly before releasing it. "I would have," he mumbled so low she swears she heard him wrong. "Goodnight Apes." Jackson said in his sleepy voice and she knew he was fast asleep already.

"Goodnight Jackson," She replied any way.

April walked out and shut the door quietly behind her. She walked down the hall to her room in a daze. She couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. The one from Jackson. Sure it was just on her hand but still he'd never done that before. She pushed the thought aside figuring it was just because he was basically asleep. But wait, did he say he would have kissed her? He probably just means he would have kissed his date goodnight too. Not that he would have kissed her. Because they were just friends, right?

Getting into bed she shook her head in a futile attempt to clear the thoughts away. She was unsure as to why that short interaction with Jackson affected her more than her actual goodnight kiss from Matthew. She thought back to that kiss on the front porch just a little while earlier in hopes that maybe she'd have dreams about Matthew. But instead she found herself drifting off with a feeling that she wished it had been Jackson.

 **A/N: And that's it for Chapter 3! I hope you still like it! I have ideas for the next chapter that I can't wait to share. Keep reviewing please** **I love to read your suggestions for new ideas so don't forget to let me know what you want to happen!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **A/N: This is a couple weeks later just to give you guys an idea. Also Happy Grey's Day! Who else is super excited for tonight's episode? I can't wait! Okay enough of me enjoy the chapter!**

Jackson was growing more and more frustrated at his situation every day. He was rarely the one in this position and he now understood what other people must feel like as a 3rd wheel. Except that he was more of a 7th wheel. Alex and Nurse Olivia had hit it off and spent most of their free time together switching between her apartment and their house. Olivia wasn't who Jackson was really upset about, though. She was nice and funny and knew how to clean up after herself so having her around wasn't awful.

It was the two girls and their boyfriends that really were driving him crazy. Lexie and Mark had worked things out and he was always at the house now. Mark being around the house wasn't terrible because he and Jackson were friends after all but it was at night that it got bad because he was loud. Maybe it was just because Jackson's room was right next to Lexie's but he got very little sleep on the nights they spent together at the house.

April was nice enough to realize that there were many relationships going on in the house so she rarely brought Matthew home. That wouldn't seem like much of a problem except that she was never home. Jackson now officially felt like he had no friends and no life outside of work.

That's why he felt the need to spend a little extra time at Joe's lately. Pretty much every night after work Jackson would head over there and get a few drinks. Nothing major because he was never looking to get drunk and some nights he would even drink, but he just needed to get out of the house. That's where he found himself tonight. Sitting alone at the bar with a single beer. This is what being single must feel like.

He was in a casual conversation with Joe when he heard the bell on the door chime. He turned his head to see who had come in and recognized it as Matthew. He was about to go over and say hi when he realized he hadn't come alone. A petite blonde walked in right behind him and by the way she was looking at him Jackson would guess that they weren't related. Was Matthew cheating on April? They had been dating for some time now and April never mentioned anything about breaking up. Realizing that he was staring he quickly turned back around and paid his tab before leaving. He did not need to be seen. Jackson made quick work of getting back to his car in the hospital parking lot and sped off towards home.

When he got home he noticed that April's car was there. Why wasn't she with Matthew? They always spent their free time together. He found April inside watching TV on the couch and he sat down next to her. "Hey, April." He greeted her with a smile watching her reaction for any signs of sadness.

"Jackson, hi!" She smiled back at him. Okay so something was up.

"I didn't expect you to be home. Is Matthew here?" He thought playing dumb would be best until he found out just what she knew.

"No, he called to say his niece was sick and he had to go take care of her." She answered casually still flipping through the channels.

Jackson knew he should tell her but he just really didn't want to see her hurt. He thought about it for a minute before coming to the conclusion that she would be more hurt if she finds out he knew and didn't tell her.

Jackson grabbed the remote from her and turned off the TV and sighed.

"Uh Jackson? I was watching that." She gave him an odd look when he took her hands in his.

"I have to tell you something and I don't think you're going to like it. You'll probably yell or cry or maybe you won't believe me but you should." He was holding her gaze.

"Jackson, you're scaring me. What's going on?" April was shaking with nervousness now.

"There's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to come right out and tell you. I think Matthew is cheating on you." He said it all slowly so that she would be able to understand him. She looked at him with wide eyes and opened her mouth to say something before Jackson cut her off. "I was at Joe's tonight when he came in with another girl. And she was definitely not his niece." He could see her reaction change from one of shock to one of realization.

"Oh my god. It all makes sense now. She was a blonde wasn't she?" April let go of his hands and stood up.

"Yes."

"I've met her. They work together and the first time he introduced me I thought there was maybe something going on but he told me there wasn't so I shrugged it off as innocent workplace flirting. I guess I should've trusted my instincts." She was pacing at first and then as the information sunk in Jackson could see her slow down until she was just standing in front of him helpless. "I knew this was too good to be true." She sank down next to him and he could tell she was crying. He instantly put his arm around her and pulled her closer.

"I'm so sorry April. You don't deserve this." Jackson offered her some comfort by rubbing her back as she cried silently into his shoulder.

"I told you he didn't mean it. He didn't want to go out with me. You told me I was wrong." She struggled against him. He wasn't surprised that she was blaming him. He probably would've done the same thing if he were her. But he didn't let her go and instead just hugged her tighter.

"I know, Apes. I'm sorry. He was wrong though, not you. You are such a catch and any guy would be lucky to have you and a fool to let you go." Jackson whispered to her.

They sat like that for a little while in silence. Jackson just holding her close while she let it all out.

But then April sat up "I want to get drunk. Tomorrow's our day off and I just want to drink this away." She said matter-of-factly. Before Jackson could protest she had already made her way into the kitchen.

A couple minutes late she came back carrying two six-packs and one already half empty bottle of beer. Seeing as she already started Jackson saw no need in denying her so he just accepted one of the beers and thus began their night of drinking.

A couple of beers in April remembered why she hates drinking to get drunk and promptly switched to water. They were back in their cuddled up position on the couch and both had a pretty strong buzz.

April was watching him play with the label on one of the bottles. She watched as his arm muscles flexed with his movements. She remembered how it felt when he was holding her. He was strong, but gentle. Her gaze moved upwards to his face. He was concentrating on trying to get the label off and she saw his brow furrow. Her eyes landed on his. They were so captivating. She was biting her bottom lip and realized that for the first time in their friendship she caught herself admiring his attractiveness. She always knew he was attractive but because they were friends she never really stopped to think about it. And now she was. And she couldn't stop. She couldn't turn away. And when he finally looked up their eyes locked and she knew she was in trouble. She suddenly felt very aware of their closeness but couldn't stop herself from moving in closer. She saw his eyes flicker between her eyes and lips and he subconsciously licked his lips. Then he was leaning in too and their faces were so close that they could feel the other's breath on their lips. April was intoxicated him and slowly closed the gap between them.

Their kiss was light but full of passion. His lips were soft against hers and even though she knew they were friends it just felt right. He pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers noses touching. They sat there staring into each other's eyes for a minute before he spoke.

"What was that?" he whispered never moving away.

"You said any guy would be lucky to have me." She responded.

"I did."

"Would you?" She couldn't stop herself. She knew they were friends but right now she didn't care. She felt that this was right. She wanted more than anything right now for him to be her's.

He was surprised to hear her ask this. He had never given much thought to them being anything other than friends, but the way she was looking at him right now made him wonder how they were ever just friends.

He leaned in so their lips were barely touching and whispered against them, "Yes."

And with that he captured her lips in his; this time with a little more force. When he felt her tongue slide across his bottom lip he came back to his senses and pulled away. "Wait April, we should stop." He said but never backed away.

"Why? Doesn't this feel right?" She wasn't losing her confidence at all.

"Yes it does but April-" he started but she cut him off.

"And something that feels this good can't be bad, right?" Her eyes searching his face. "Jackson, it's okay" she whispered and that was all he needed.

He crashed his lips against hers and this time the kiss was rough with want. It wasn't long before April's tongue was dancing around his. He loved it. He couldn't stop his wandering hands. He ran them down her arms and landed them on her hips where he slid them up her shirt. His hands against her skin were electric and he couldn't help but wish there was more skin on skin connection. He wanted to be closer. He wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled against his chest and was pleased when he heard a quiet moan come from April. He felt her hands run up his back and through his hair. He pulled back for air and started working kisses along her jawline and down her neck finding a spot just below her ear that made her moan his name.

By this point Jackson was in a seated position and April was straddling his waist. "Wrap your legs around me." He told her breathlessly as he grabbed the back of her thighs. She did as she was told and Jackson picked her up and carried her to the stairs kissing her the whole time.

April broke away to ask "What are you doing?"

"I thought we could take this to the bedroom. More privacy." He smirked at her pleased reaction and continued on to his room. Once there he set her on her feet and backed her against the bed. He cupped the sides of her face in his hands and leaned in to continue kissing her. This time it was her hands that were wandering until she reached the hem of his shirt. She played with it as if trying to decide her next move. When Jackson started kissing down her neck again she decided and began tugging the material off his body. She had never really seen him shirtless, at least not like this and she found herself amazed at how mesmerized she was by him. Her hands instinctively went up to his chest and she ran her hands down his body feeling his abs in all their glory.

Jackson loved every minute of this. He loved how he was able to make her act like this. "Like what you see?" He smirked at her. She didn't answer and instead just went back to kissing him. He slowly lowered her onto the bed and hovered over her propping himself up on his forearms. He smiled down at her and began kissing her down her neck and chest and his hand roamed down to the hem of her shirt.

Suddenly April was very aware of what was about to happen. She let it get too far. It's not that she didn't want to, but they were friends and needed to figure out what this was between them before they get too serious. Because if it was just a one night pity lay for Jackson that wasn't enough for her.

She slowly sat up underneath him. "Jackson" She said still a little out of breath. "We should stop." And she felt just as disappointed as he looked, but quickly changed his facial expression to one of understanding. He couldn't forget that she was a virgin and that this was probably not what she wanted.

"You don't want this." He said more than asked and rolled off of her and lay beside her instead.

"No, I do want this. I just think we need to slow down. We need to figure this- us- out." She was staring at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," she added quietly.

Jackson sighed. She was apologizing to him when he's the one who almost took advantage of her in her fragile state- how April like. "You don't need to apologize. I get it. You're right we should talk about this." She turned to face him now and she was about to say something when he cut her off. "In the morning when we're thinking clearly." He told her.

She nodded lightly, "Okay." She made a move like she was getting up to leave.

"What are you doing?" He asked grabbing her hand so she couldn't go.

She looked confused, "You said…" And she trailed off her eyes motioning to the door.

"I'm not kicking you out. Stay here tonight. You're upset, you shouldn't be alone." He pulled her back down next to him and smiled and added "Plus I don't want you to go."

She just smiled and snuggled into him so she was the little spoon. And like that they drifted off to a comfortable sleep.

 **A/N: That's chapter 4! I hope it meets your standards. I didn't want it to get too rated M because I don't know if you guys would like that? Let me know what you think! And thank you for all the reviews so far you guys rock! I have some ideas for Chapter 5 already but if you review soon maybe I'll be open for suggestions! I'm working on some of the things you guys asked for already** **Alright enough blabbering. Have fun watching Grey's Anatomy tonight!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **A/N: Just wanted to give a quick shout out to LeandraDeRaven for being a consistent reviewer so far! I really appreciate it! I hope you enjoy Chapter 5…it's a pretty light and easy chapter.**

The next morning April woke up disoriented and with a slight headache. She felt very warm and confined and was confused for a minute until she finally realized where she was. She turned over and saw Jackson asleep next to her. They had fallen asleep in a spooning position but he was currently lying flat on his stomach with his one arm draped over April. She laughed quietly to herself at how much of a bed hog he was. She was on the very edge of the bed so to keep herself from falling off she nudged herself further into his side. Relaxing back into the bed April listened to Jackson's steady breathing.

She was happy to have the day off, but she was nervous about the conversation she had to have with Jackson. After what happened last night she knew what she wanted but she wasn't sure Jackson would want the same thing. As they were falling asleep last night April thought about what she wanted their relationship to be. They had been friends for so long and she didn't want to ruin that but the chemistry between them was undeniable. Plus she felt comfortable with him and she rarely ever got that feeling in past relationships. She was ready to take their friendship up to the next level. But more than that she wants a relationship that doesn't move to fast. Yeah, they are already past the whole 'getting to know you' phase but she wanted dates and kisses good night and not to just jump into bed right off the bat. Just thinking of it gave her butterflies.

April was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Jackson stirring beside her. She watched as he blinked his eyes opened and furrowed his brows as he fought through the wake up haze.

"Good morning," she said softly smiling down at him.

His smile grew big and she could see that sparkle in his eyes that Mark always commented on. "Morning Apes." He stretched and sat up a little bit. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good," she answered leaning back against the headboard.

He frowned. "Only pretty good? What's that all about?" he mocked offense.

"Well it's hard to say perfect when I sleeping next to a bed hogger all night," she teased and playfully stuck out her tongue.

He laughed a little at her playfulness "Oh nice, what are we in second grade? You should've just snuggled closer." He said and proceeded to demonstrate the movement by pulling her closer.

"Oh you know I'm only teasing," she giggled leaning her shoulder against his.

"Hey come here" he said leaning in a little closer and motioning her to do the same. She leaned a little and he closed the gap and gave her a quick kiss. "Good morning."

She smiled, "I think you already said that."

"Yeah, but not properly." He returned the smile and made April feel even more confident in her decision. Now she just had to make sure he was on the same page.

She pulled away and leaned her head back against the headboard. "So we should talk…about last night." She said and glanced over to see his reaction.

He nodded. "Yes, we should do that," was all he said.

April bit down on her bottom lip and then turned to look at him straight on. "I think we have something good. Last night showed that. And I would like to explore this- us- if that's something you'd also want." She had such butterflies. Waiting for his reaction felt like forever but her eyes never left his face and when she saw him smile she felt like a weight, that she was unaware was there, was lifted.

"So you think we should date?" Jackson asked.

"Yes." April was surprised at how confident felt despite the nerves.

"Good, that's what I was hoping you'd say." He smiled and leaned it to kiss her again. She returned the kiss happily but pulled away before it got too far.

"But I want to go slow. I think if we rush things it could go bad and our friendship is too important to me." She explained.

"I agree. I would not want to jeopardize our friendship. But I think our past is part of what will make this really special." He agreed.

"I'm really glad to hear you say that." She smiled and then thought of something "should we tell people or keep it a secret?"

"Nothing is a secret where we work, April." He laughed a little but his face fell a bit when he remembered a small thing from the night before. "But before anything I think you are forgetting a minor detail."

April's expression turned to confusion. "What are talking about?" She asked racking her brain for the slightest clue.

"You're still technically in a relationship. With Matthew." He said plainly.

Her face fell. "Oh, yeah, that." She had completely forgotten about that which is kind of ironic seeing as that's what got them into this situation. "I'll just have to call him later to end things. No need to drag anything out." She decided.

"What an ass," Jackson shook his head remembering how upset April had been last night when he had first told her.

"Well, it's his loss." April shrugged. She felt no reason to drag out her pain especially now that she and Jackson were going to give things a try.

"I guess I kind of owe the guys thanks, though. His loss is my gain." He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a side hug. And then her stomach growled. "You know if you wanted me to make you breakfast you could've just asked." He joked and nudged her shoulder.

They just laughed and decided it was time to get up and start their day. Realizing she was still in the same clothes from the night before April excused herself to freshen up and change while he headed off to the kitchen to make up some breakfast.

About twenty minutes later April was following the smell of bacon down to the kitchen after getting herself ready for the day. Or at least as ready as she really needed to be on her day off. She walked in and saw that Jackson had fixed a fresh pot of coffee to go along with the bacon and omelets he made.

"Bon appetite!" Jackson said in his fake French accent as he placed a plate down in front of her.

"Merci beaucoup!" She responded in an equally bad accent. "No, but really this smells amazing." She said as she began eating.

"It just a basic omelet, I make them for you all the time." He laughed at how she was pretty much devouring the food.

"I guess I really am just that hungry. Come to think of it I don't even remember if I ate dinner last night." She shook her head at her carelessness. "Oh well, too late now," and continued to shovel food into her mouth.

They sat and enjoyed breakfast just the two of them because Alex and Lexie both had to be at work today and had left hours ago. They chatted easily and April moved on to wash the dishes while Jackson put away the food. It was a pretty routine morning for them.

When the kitchen was all cleaned up Jackson went upstairs to shower and April figured she should go ahead and call Matthew to get it out of the way. She had decided she didn't want any details on his cheating and felt that there was no reason to tell him about Jackson. She just wanted a quick and easy break up call. She would honestly rather do it in person because she hated the idea of impersonal break ups, but she knew she wouldn't be running into him today and didn't want to delay it. She grabbed her phone and took a seat at the table.

She dialed his number and put the phone to her ear. After four rings he picks up.

"Hey April, this really isn't a good time." He sounded flustered, like he was hiding something. "My- uh- niece just started throwing up so-" He went on until April cut him off.

"Matthew, this won't take long I promise. Just give me five minutes and then you can get back to fooling around with whatever tramp you're with." April surprised herself with her bluntness.

She listened but he was only stuttering incoherently. She took that as her cue to continue. "Yes, I know about the blonde. Don't worry; I'm not going to get mad I just wanted to make sure you know we are over. Sorry about doing it over the phone, but also not that sorry because you really don't deserve that much respect from me right now." Okay so maybe she was a little mad.

"Um, okay." Was all he had to say.

She rolled her eyes even though she knew he couldn't see it. What had she seen in him? "Goodbye, Matthew." She hung up without giving him a chance to respond.

All-in-all she was pleased with how that went. Sure, she could've been a bit nicer but she was still hurt by what he did. Either way she no longer had to worry about that which meant she could now fully commit to her new relationship.

 **A/N: Sorry it's shorter than the other chapters, I just wanted this one to mainly be about them being on the same page. The next chapter should be back to my normal length. Did you guys watch the new episode? I'm so upset! April better fight for that relationship and get him to change his mind! Another thought: I'm open for suggestions on a cute first date idea for Japril. I have a little idea but it's not the best. You guys are the best with reviewing so I know I can count on you! Thanks again!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **A/N: Warning: This story is now rated M because of this chapter! If you don't like reading this then this chapter may not be for you. But for those of you who wanted it I hope you enjoy!**

Not even a week had passed since Jackson and April had made their decision and already everyone in the hospital knew about them. The only people they actually told about their relationship were Lexie and Alex because of obvious reasons. They didn't want to hide their relationship especially when they were in the privacy of their own house, but they also felt no need to go around telling everyone. Their motto was "if they know, they know" but word got around fast. Lexie had of course told Mark and him being the gossip he was passed it along to Callie who passed it to Arizona etc. Alex had told Olivia and everyone knows that once a nurse knows your secret it won't be a secret much longer because nurses talk a lot.

Jackson and April were the new hot topic at the hospital and they were constantly hearing whispers such as "won't that ruin the friendship?" and "it's about damn time!". They were so famous around their coworkers started calling them Japril when referring to them as a couple. Talk like this could drive some couples crazy but Jackson and April just laughed it off. They were still in their 'honeymoon' phase and hadn't even gone on their first date yet.

Jackson had everything planned. He had called in a favor at one of the most romantic Italian restaurants in Seattle because he treated the chef's mother a few months back. He had reservations for two at a table next to a huge window that overlooked the city and had asked the chef to prepare his most 'romantic' dish. Jackson didn't even know there was such a thing but the chef offered and he couldn't say no. He had planned it for the next Friday which was now today. He knew they both had the night off and no surgeries scheduled so it was the perfect night for a perfect first date.

He hadn't told April where they were going but just that she should dress nice and be ready by 7. Things had been going great for them so far. At work they didn't see each other much unless they were on the same trauma or in the same surgery, but they made sure to find each other for lunch and occasionally slipped into an on-call room to steal a few kisses. April found herself telling her to slow down a lot lately. Being so close to Jackson gave her such a rush that she knew it wouldn't be long before she gave in to her urges. Jackson was really understanding of her feelings, but she still felt a little guilty every time they were together and she had to stop them. It's funny because they haven't even had a real date yet but they were already spending their nights together. That's what happens when you date one of your roommates.

She was super excited for their date tonight, but also kind of nervous. She knew she had no reason to be nervous; she and Jackson had gone out to dinner together before, but never quite like this with the whole romance element. Regardless of her nerves she was excited and kept checking the time all day. The day had felt longer than most and she was just heading to the locker room at the end of her shift when she heard someone calling her name. She whipped around and saw Hunt. This couldn't be good.

"Incoming trauma. We need all hands on deck. Page Plastics and Ortho to trauma room 3." She groaned inwardly as she did what she was told. There was no use arguing this. Her job was to save lives no matter if the accident coincided with her date night plans.

She walked into the trauma room ready to do what was needed and saw that Jackson was there too. He looked up and met her eyes and she could tell they were thinking the same thing, there were not going to make the reservations. She pushed the thought aside quickly so she could take care of the patient who was currently writhing in pain. Once he calmed down enough for all the doctors to assess the damage they quickly called the OR to get ready and rushed him down to surgery.

Jackson and April were both asked to scrub in on the surgery and were the last ones left in the scrub room. "So I guess our date will have to be pushed back," April sighed.

"Yeah, I guess. It's too bad because I had it all planned out it was going to be the perfect night." Jackson's disappointment was evident.

"Well, at least we're still together, in surgery but still together." April tried looking at the bright side.

"And when we get home I am going to make you something nice for dinner to make it up to you." He smiled at her as he finished rinsing his hands in the sink.

"That's totally unnecessary," April shrugged then continued "but I'm holding you to it." She returned the smile and followed him out of the scrub room.

Luckily the surgery had no complications and was completed in less than three hours. They had definitely missed their reservations but it wasn't an ungodly hour so they could still spend part of the night together. Jackson was in charge of take the patient to recovery so he told April just to wait for him in the lobby. About twenty minutes later Jackson was finally done with the patient and finished grabbing his things and made his way down to the lobby. When he saw her stand from her spot on the bench his jaw just about hit the floor. She had on a tight red dress that hugged her curves in all the right ways showing just enough cleavage without being slutty. And her legs looked amazing in her black stiletto heels. His mind was now cursing the idiot for falling off his roof and ruining his dinner plans.

When he reached her he found it difficult to take his eyes off her and even harder to keep his hands off her. "Wow," was all he managed to get out and even then his voice was husky. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "You look amazing," his voice was stronger this time.

"Thank you. You look pretty damn good too." She smiled and looked him over. He was wearing a black suit that fit just right with a white button down shirt that he had failed to button all the way showing off a little of his chest. He was so sexy. All she could think about was how much she wanted to rip his shirt off and just take him right there. She had to force herself to look away.

"So, my place or yours?" Jackson whispered in her ear sending chills down her spine. He didn't wait for a response and just wrapped his arm around her waist and started leading her to the exit.

The car ride felt so long to both of them. The tension between them was becoming hard to fight against and they were both so relieved when they pulled into the driveway and saw that they had the place to themselves. Jackson put the car in park and took a deep breath to try and keep his cool. It had taken everything in him not to pull the car over to the side of the road and just climb on top of her. He got out of the car and moved to help April out of the passenger side. He grabbed her hand when she held it out and placed his hand on her back to gently lead her inside.

As soon as the door was locked behind them he had her pinned against it. His face was mere centimeters away from hers and he could feel her breath against his lips. Her eyes were closed in anticipation and he saw her bite down on her bottom lip as she often does. God was she sexy. He licked his lips. He knew that this time once he started it would be too hard to stop. "April," he whispered against her lips. Her eyes fluttered open. "do want you want this?" She knew exactly what he meant and nodded her head. Jackson's eyes searched hers for any hesitation but were only met with passion and want. He pressed his lips against hers that kiss set everything in motion.

It wasn't long before their tongues were fighting for dominance and his hands were caught in her hair. Her hands that were wrapped around his waist moved under his suit jacket to slip it off and it landed on the floor somewhere behind him. April pulled back needing some air and Jackson attached his lips to her neck finding that spot she loves and sucking on it. She moaned into his ear and caught it between her teeth tugging on it lightly. She made quick work of the buttons on his shirt and rubbed her hands down his abdomen. Jackson kissed his way back up to her lips and began walking her to the stairs. She got the message and they broke apart so they could make it to his bedroom.

Once inside April shut the door behind them and turned back to face a shirtless Jackson. She slowly walked up to him and placed a hand on his chest and brought her mouth to his ear. "Could you help me out of this dress?" and caught his eyes before turning her back to him. He couldn't believe this was happening. He slid his hands, which were resting on her hips, up her back until he reached her zipper. He carefully unzipped her dress to where it stopped just above her butt. She slowly slipped one arm out of the sleeve at a time and let it fall around her ankles. She stepped out of it and kicked off her shoes and turned back to Jackson.

Here she was, April Kepner, standing in front of him in nothing but a black strapless bra and matching thong. Anyone who thought she was a prude was terribly mistaken. She looked amazing. "You're beautiful, April" his voice was low and sincere. She blushed and somehow that just turned him on anymore. He could feel his pants growing tighter and they were becoming more and more uncomfortable. His hands moved to undo his belt but he didn't get very far before his hands were being replaced by April's. She removed his belt and unbuttoned his pants. She was very aware of the bulge that was growing and it just excited her. Once she took care of the zipper she let him step out them leaving him in just his boxer briefs. She took a minute to admire his body and let her hands roam down his abdomen and linger on his hips. He loved the feeling of her hands on his body and he couldn't keep away from her anymore.

He reconnected their lips and walked backwards to the bed. He lowered them onto the bed and rolled her so she was on her back underneath him. It was his turn to touch her. He kissed her neck and let his hands rest on her breasts. He squeezed them through her bra and heard her moan in pleasure. He loved that sound. He fondled her breasts a little more before moving his hands down her flat stomach and rested on her inner thighs. Watching her face for her reaction Jackson slowly rubbed his fingers against the fabric of her panties and could feel how wet she already was for him. Having never been touched like this before her body was on fire and she wriggled beneath him. "Jackson," she breathed. Hearing his name from her mouth like that made him rock hard and he knew he couldn't wait much longer.

He leaned into her and kissed her once more before his hands went around to her back and undid the clasp of her bra. Her nipples her pink and erect and he immediately began to massage them between his fingers receiving a gasp from April that soon turned to more moans of pleasure. Feeling ambitious April rubbed her hands down his torso and this time didn't stop but instead reached into his briefs and stroked his member. This time it was Jackson who was moaning her name and she made quick work of disposing of the rest of their garments.

Jackson hovered over her leaning on his forearms with a hand resting on either side of her head. He locked eyes with her "you sure about this?" he asked just needing to hear her confirmation.

She nodded her head once, "Yes, Jackson." And he could hear the lust in her voice.

He positioned himself at her center and started by just pushing the tip in and pulling out repeating the motion but each time entering a little more until he pushed all the way in. He saw her face twist as if in pain and he hated it. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. "I'm sorry. It gets better I promise." She nodded. He waited until he knew she was ready before sliding out and thrusting back in. He pumped in her at a steady pace never taking his eyes off her face. He watched as her expression turned back into one of pleasure as he continued his movements. It wasn't long before she was moaning and started thrusting her hips up to meet his movements.

"Jackson, faster." She groaned and he obliged.

She was so tight and he loved being inside her like this, but he was determined to make her come first. He pushed into her faster with more force until he heard her cry out. She was so close. He thrusted into her as hard as he could one last time before he felt her walls clamp around him.

"Jackson!" April cried out as she rode out her first orgasm.

Hearing his name pushed him over the edge and soon he was joining her in riding out the waves of pleasure. After a few minutes he rolled off of her and lay next to her panting. "Wow."

"Holy shit." She said breathlessly. "I can't believe I've been missing out on that my whole life." She had never experienced such pleasure. She never knew it was possible to feel that way.

He turned to look at her. "So you're happy we did that?" He asked with a smile growing on his face.

"Yes, so happy." She smiled back at him and cuddled into his side laying her head on his chest enjoying the closeness.

"Good. I am too." He stroked her hair and relaxed into the bed.

April felt so relaxed now and listening to the steady rhythm of Jackson's heartbeat she felt herself drifting off. "Good night, Jackson." She said into the dark.

He leaned down a little and pressed his mouth to her head "Sweet dreams, April" and he kissed her head. He held her to him and listened to her breathing until they both drifted into peaceful sleep.

 **A/N: Ahh! I've never written anything like this before so I hope I did it justice? I know the beginning of the chapter may seem a little all over the place but I changed my whole idea for this chapter like half way through so I tried to make it work. Your reviews are really helpful so keep them coming! You all seemed to be excited at the idea of an M-rated bit so this was for you!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **A/N: By the way, Happy Valentine's Day! 3**

"So you do realize we just completely skipped over the first date and went straight to sex right? I never pegged you for the type to kiss on the first date let alone sleep together, but look at us now." Jackson teased April.

They had stayed in bed for as long as the possibly could that morning but eventually had to get up to go to the hospital. They were currently eating lunch in the cafeteria together. They had been lucky enough to find a table alone together.

"Shh! People can hear you!" April hushed him and looked around to see if anyone had heard him a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

"So people are allowed to know we're dating but can't know we're having sex? I thought you were happy we did it." Jackson almost seemed hurt.

"It's just that pretty much everyone in this place knows I am- I was- a virgin." She whispered to him across the table. "People in this hospital have, and share, their opinions about everything. My previously nonexistent sex life and our relationship included. I don't need them weighing in on this just yet." April told him.

"This isn't very good for my ego." Jackson joked causing April to roll her eyes.

"No, Jackson, you're misunderstanding me. I don't want people knowing about this just yet because what happened last night between us was good." She looked him in the eye. "So good. I just want to keep that between us right now. Once people know I am sure I will get bombarded with questions and comments regarding my virginity and for now I just want to keep it special and just for us." April explained searching his eyes to make sure he understood.

Jackson nodded. "I can understand that, April. I hope I didn't offend you. I am just so happy and last night was so great that I just want to shout it from the roof tops." She laughed at his excitement and smiled at the sparkle she saw in his eyes. "But I think we need a make-up date. And I already have it all planned out we just need to decide on a day and time." He told her.

April's eyes lit up. "What's the date?" She asked.

"Nothing like what I had planned before. It will be more relaxed and simple, but no less romantic." He told her only that and laughed as he saw her excited expression turn to one of disappointment.

"That's all I get? Not even a little hint?" She gave him her best puppy dog eyes but was still met with a shake of Jackson's head. She pouted a little and turned back to her food. She then realized something he had said earlier and looked back up at him. "Having sex?" She whispered at him. "Like as in present tense it's going to happen again?"

Jackson was a little confused. "Well, yeah, I mean I just assumed because you liked it and we are dating." He trailed off. "I guess I shouldn't have just assumed…"

Her lips widened in a smile. "I just wasn't sure _you_ wanted to do it again." She was still whispering.

"Of course I do, April." He matched her smiled and leaned in across the table. She met him in the middle and they shared a short and sweet kiss before finishing their lunch. wanted to do it again." She was still whispering.

"Of course I do, April." He matched her smiled and leaned in across the table. She met him in the middle and they shared a short and sweet kiss before finishing their lunch.

Jackson was on Mark's service again today and as they were walking to their next patient's room he found them talking about their relationships. Mark had just finished tell Jackson about how Lexie wanted him to meet her father who had apparently come to her and Meredith to ask for a second chance. Mark wasn't sure it was the best idea because of the age difference between him and Lexie and the fact that he was her boss. Dads were not typically known to like those features in the men their daughter's date.

"So what do you think I should do?" Mark asked his friend for advice.

"I think if you really love her you need to be in the relationship all the way which means going to dinner with her and her father if that's what she's asking. I've met a few fathers in my dating life and it turns out that they will overlook the things they don't like about you if they can tell you're in love with the girl and treat her right." Jackson answered thoughtfully.

"When did you get to be so insightful, Avery?" Mark was impressed and was now convinced he had to go to this dinner tonight.

Jackson shrugged. "I always have been you have just never asked me for relationship advice before." He stated plainly.

"Well alright. So, tell me about you and Kepner. How's that working for you?" Mark changed the topic off of his own relationship.

"It's really good." He couldn't fight the smile growing on his face. "I actually want to run something by you." Jackson said.

"Okay, shoot."

"Our date last night didn't quite go as planned because of the emergency surgery so I want to make it up to her by cooking her a nice dinner at home." He started.

"Nice. A candle lit dinner for two; you can never go wrong with that." Mark offered.

"Yeah, so I was thinking up a menu and just let me know what you think. Definitely a salad to start, like maybe a cranberry walnut salad. I know she likes sea food so I was thinking a chili glazed salmon with asparagus for the main course and then chocolate covered strawberries for dessert." He had put a lot of thought into this since their talk during lunch.

"Damn, Avery. That sounds delicious. But you do know what all those foods have in common, right? They're all aphrodisiacs." Mark gave him a smirk.

"Yes, I know they are." Jackson replied not looking at Mark.

"Wait, stop." Mark stopped them when they reached the end of the hallway. "Is there something you're not telling me?" He made Jackson look at him.

He sighed knowing that he might as well just tell Mark seeing as he was just going to pester him until he gave it up. "So I said last night's date didn't go as planned. I didn't say it didn't go at all." He couldn't help smile at the memory from the night before.

Mark's mouth dropped open. "You mean, sweet and innocent Kepner isn't so innocent anymore?" His expression turned into a wide smile. "I'm proud of you, Avery." And he wrapped his arm around the other man's shoulder.

"I promised April I wouldn't tell anyone, so please just keep it to yourself. Just for now." Jackson pleaded.

Mark took his arm back. "Of course." They began walking again. "Now you know if you're going to serve all that food you have to make sure you have red wine." He winked at Jackson and he rolled his eyes while making a mental note to pick up another bottle.

They finally reached the designated room and walked in ending the conversation.

Jackson made his way to the elevator at the end of his shift. He had just talked to Alex and asked him to drive April home so he could go to the grocery store. They had arrived at work together this morning so he did not want to leave April without a way home.

He stepped into the elevator looking down at the list he had written out earlier and the doors were about to close when he heard someone calling out to him to hold the doors. He looked up and saw April racing to make it before the doors closed all the way. She squeezed through the opening and he quickly stuffed the list into his pocket so she wouldn't see.

"What was that?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Oh nothing. Hey, did Alex talk to you?" He quickly changed the subject.

She didn't buy it but played along anyway. "Yeah, he said to meet him at the car in a few minutes because you had to run an errand. I could have just gone with you?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's correct." She stared him down and he sighed. "Okay, fine, if you must know I have to go pick up some things for our date. I want to surprise you so as much as I'd love your company you can't come." He told her.

"I am getting really excited for this!" She smiled at him. "By the way, I have off tomorrow night and work the night shift the next day so if you have off that would work great." She informed him.

"That's actually perfect. We must have the same schedules this month because we've had all the same times lately. Okay so 7 o'clock tomorrow night?" He asked.

She nodded, "it's a date!" she confirmed right as the elevator doors opened and exposed them to the parking garage.

They stepped out and Jackson stepped in the give her a quick hug "I'll see you at home in a little while." And they walked away in separate directions to their cars.

"Big date tonight, right?" Mark and Jackson were in the lab researching a procedure for one of their newest patients.

"Yeah, our do-over date. Can you believe I am more nervous this time?" Jackson asked.

"It's the sex. You're more involved now; you have more to lose. But don't stress, you'll be fine. You planned the whole thing perfectly, she'll love it." Mark assured him patting his back in a friendly way.

"Thanks, man. Your dinner with Lexie and Thatcher was last night. How'd that go?" Jackson asked.

"It was great. I was so nervous for no reason. You were right he didn't care that I was closer to his age than her's. He was just happy that we looked happy together. And nothing can beat the way Lexie thanked me for showing up." He smirked.

"You were so close, Mark. You were almost sincere the whole way through. I had so much faith and you just let me down, man." Jackson teased and Mark laughed.

"It's in me, Jackson. It doesn't just go away. I'd be happy to share my wisdom with you; I bet April would love that." He bumped shoulders with Jackson.

"Mark!" Jackson hissed at him and looked around to make sure no one was listening in. "You can't say anything!"

"Oh come on, lighten up. No one is in here to hear anything. You're so tense. But, hey, listen I wanted to ask you something. I figured we're friends now and Lexie and April are friends why don't we do a double date sometime?" Mark asked.

"Interesting thought. I'll run it by April later and let you know. I'd be cool with it though." Jackson responded and typed something new into the search box on the computer.

"Nothing major maybe like drinks at Joe's after work and then we can get together at your place for like a game night or something?" Mark suggested.

"Mark Sloan is suggesting a game night?" Jackson scoffed.

Mark shrugged, "It's something Lexie likes so I go along with it. That's something we do, if we do something she likes one night then we do something I like the next. Eventually we both end up enjoying all of the things we do because we do them together." Mark explained.

Jackson looked at Mark incredulously. "And now you're a relationship expert. Anything else you want to share with me?"

Mark just laughed. "She has me considering a cooking class for couples. As if we would have time for something like that. But I'm thinking about saying yes because it would make her happy and believe me Jackson, if you make your girl happy she will return the favor." He told him.

"And there it is again! That's the Mark Sloan I know." He clapped his hand on Mark's back and noticed his watch. He pulled his arm away to check the time. "Oh shit, man I have to go. I have to get home before April so I can get everything ready." Jackson stood up to leave.

"Don't forget to shower…unless you have plans to do that together later." Mark just laughed when Jackson gave him a warning look. "It'll be great, go have fun." He said seriously this time.

And with that Jackson was out the door to go set up the perfect second first date.

 **A/N: I hope you like this little filler chapter! The actual date will be the next one and it will probably be another M-rated one! Let me know what you think about the double date idea. I am trying to think of a good way to add drama without being cliché or over the top. I wanted this to be a nice easy read but I still think it needs some drama to keep it interesting.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **A/N: Here's the date chapter. I'm excited for this one! It's definitely M rated so if you don't like it this is your warning! Enjoy!**

April walked in and shut the door behind her. She smelled something amazing coming from the kitchen but before she could go investigate she heard Jackson call out to her.

"April? Is that you?" He was in the kitchen. She was suddenly so excited. She loved when he cooked, but he rarely made big meals so when he did she made sure to really enjoy them.

"Yes, I just got home." She called back and took off her coat to hang on the rack next to the front door.

"Don't come in yet! It's not ready yet." He poked his head out of the kitchen to smile at her.

"Don't worry I was going to head upstairs and shower. I just got out of surgery and feel gross." She explained.

"Great." He smiled at her and disappeared back into the kitchen. "It should all be ready by then so when you're done just come in."

April rushed up the stairs and jumped into the shower. She was getting nervous the more she waited; she just wanted the date to start already. She did all she needed to do in the shower and wrapped a towel around her body before walking to her bedroom to get dressed. She wasn't sure how fancy she needed to be because they were just at home, but she still wanted to look nice for him. Guessing that they would probably end up in bed together again she slipped on black lace bra and matching panties before deciding on a pretty green dress. It was neither too fancy nor too casual. I fell just below her knees. Every time she wore green she was complimented so she figured this would be a safe dress.

Her hair was still wet so she let it air dry while she quickly applied the slightest touch of makeup. She knew Jackson like the minimal look and to be honest that's what she felt most comfortable in. She went back to her hair and started blow drying it to achieve her soft natural curls. She looked herself over in her full length mirror and nodded at her reflection. She thought she looked pretty good so she made her way downstairs.

"I know you said to just come in but I'm letting you know I'm here." April said to give Jackson a little heads up and a couple seconds later Jackson was standing in front of her in the kitchen doorway holding out a glass of red wine for her. She accepted the wine and looked him over. He looked good as always. He was wearing a nice gray sweater with the sleeves rolled up part of the way and she could see a black button up poking out from underneath it. He had paired it with a nice fitting pair of jeans. She couldn't help but giggle at the fact that neither of them had bothered to put on shoes. They both had the same idea and now here they were all dressed and looking nice and they were both barefoot.

"What are you giggling about?" Jackson asked her.

"It's really nothing I just think it's cute that neither of us thought to put on shoes." And she motioned to their feet.

He smiled. "Well, you look amazing regardless. I love that color on you, it really brings out your eyes." She smiled at him and forced back a blush.

"Thank you." She leaned up and gave him a peck on the lips.

"I hope you're hungry because dinner is ready." He motioned to the dining room that was right off the kitchen.

"Starving." She followed him to the table he had set with candles and a small bouquet of flowers as the center piece. "This is gorgeous and everything smells so good." She complimented him and sat down at her seat with her glass of wine.

"Just wait until you taste the food. I may have cheated a little bit and already had a bite or two, but just to make sure it was good enough for you." Jackson said and placed a plate of salad down in front of her. "For the first dish I have for you a Cranberry Walnut Salad with light vinaigrette." He sat down across from her and they began their meal.

"I love this salad." April told him after she took her first few bites. "I can't to see what else you made." She said and gave him a look to see if he would give it up.

"I know what you're doing and I'm not telling you. It's all a surprise, so just sit tight and enjoy it." He smiled at her. "How was your day?" He asked.

"It was good! We had this one trauma come in that I thought was just hopeless, but alas we worked our magic and a miracle happened." He listened and admired the way she talked so animatedly about her job.

"A miracle, really? You believe in those?" He asked her.

"Well yeah, I think if I didn't I wouldn't make it through most days at the hospital." She took a sip of her wine. "You don't think they exist, do you?" she asked.

"I believe in medicine. I think what we do is the reason someone lives. Just think about all the prayers that are said in a hospital and all the patients we have lost." He shrugged his shoulders and let her figure out the rest.

"But that's just it, Jackson. If miracles happened for everyone and no one died in the hospital, it wouldn't be a miracle. I believe in miracles because of the rare occasions I witness them. It's when a patient pulls through against all odds and defies scientific theories that it's a miracle. And that's what I saw today." She explained to him passionately.

"I will just have to take your word for it." He never was one to believe in miracles or the power of prayer, but he knew April did and would never want to disrespect that. "You ready for the main dish?" He changed the subject.

"Always." She handed him her plate and watched him scoop some more delicious food on her plate.

"Okay, so here we have a Chile and Ginger Glazed Salmon with a side of couscous and asparagus. I know how much you love seafood so I hope I did this justice." He handed her back her plate and she accepted happily. He noticed that their wine glasses were running on empty and refilled them before sitting back down. He watched her take her first bite and waited for her reaction.

"Mmm. Oh my god." She moaned out.

Jackson couldn't help but think of the way she made those same noises in bed the other night and smirked. "That good huh?" The food was living up to its potential.

She was chewing with her eyes closed and answered "it's delicious." When she opened her eyes and saw him watching her she asked "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh no reason. You are just making sex noises while eating." He continued to smirk as she suddenly looked embarrassed.

"Am I really? I'm sorry I didn't realize. I- it's just.." She rambled until he cut her off.

"You don't need to apologize for it. I liked it, it was kind of sexy." He winked at her and went back to his food.

They continued to eat and talk about their days and when they finished eating Jackson cleared the dirty dishes off the table. He was rinsing them off and sticking them in the dishwasher so he wouldn't have to worry about it later.

"So I was talking with Mark today. He and Lexie have a good thing going, he seems happy." Jackson told her.

"Oh yeah? That's good I'm happy for them." April said nicely relaxing back into her chair.

"Yeah, it's good. Actually, he asked me what I thought about a double date sometime. I told him I'd ask you about it." He glanced over at her from the sink.

"Oh." She said. "A double date with him and Lexie." She mused spinning her wine glass by the stem.

"Yes. That's what I said." He answered. She was quiet for a minute so he looked up to see what was up and he realized that it was the mention of Lexie. "Are you worried about Lexie? Because if you are you should know that you have no reason to be." He told her calmly.

"I know." She said quietly.

"April, I mean it. Sure, I like her at one time but that's over. She's with Mark and they're happy and I'm happy for them. But more than that I am happy with you. There's no one else I would have wanted to make this meal for." Jackson explained and offered her a smile.

She smiled back and he knew that she understood that he was being one hundred percent sincere. "Okay, yeah, sure a double date sounds fun." She agreed and finished the wine in her glass.

"Ready for dessert?" He asked as he refilled their wine glasses once more.

"There's more?" She was amazed. She thought for sure it was over when he cleared the plates.

"Of course. It's not a proper meal if you don't have dessert." He went to the refrigerator and pulled out the plate of chocolate covered strawberries.

"These are pretty much my favorite food ever." April said and he could almost see her salivating.

"Why don't we move into the living room? I'm sure it's more comfortable in there." He suggested. She agreed and they walked into the living room and sat next to each other on the couch. April curled her feet up under her and leaned into his side.

"Can I eat one now?" April asked and he just laughed and handed over the plate.

He watched her bite into it with her perfect teeth and saw the red juice slide down her cheek. He brought his hand up to her face and wiped away the juice with his thumb. Holding her chin gently in his hand he tilted her head up and he leaned down to kiss her. Her lips were still damp with the strawberry juice; loving the taste he slid his tongue across her bottom lip and she parted her lips just enough for him to enter. He could taste the strawberry she just ate mixed with her own taste and he loved it. He breathed in her scent and pulled away. The kiss was short but just long enough to make her crave more.

"These strawberries taste so good." He smirked at her before picking up one of his own. They took turns feeding each other the rest of the strawberries and stealing kisses here and there. By the time they finished the dessert they were both more than ready to continue the night in a more private room. They headed upstairs Jackson led her into his room.

"Why do we always spend the night in your room?" She wondered aloud.

"Because I have the bigger bed." He answered.

He slowly walked over to her eyeing her up and down as he did. He reached her and lightly ran his hand down her arm and grabbed her hand. She shivered at the light touch. He leaned in and placed open mouth kisses on her skin starting at her chin and working up to her ear. "Did I tell you how great you look in this dress, April?" He whispered in her ear and she loved the way her name sounded off of his lips.

"Yes, you did, Jackson." She whispered back. She leaned her head back as he started kissing her neck.

"Good, because you do." He said between kisses.

She found her hands reaching for the hem of his sweater. He allowed her to slip it over his head and it landed on the floor. Jackson rested his hands on her waist and began kissing her again. The kiss was strong and full of longing. Their tongues moved perfectly together and they could not get enough. April was soon working on the buttons of his black shirt and discarded that onto the floor along with his sweater. She let her hands roam over her exposed body and felt Jackson's hands mimicking her movements over the fabric of her dress.

He brought his lips back up to her ear. "I love the way you look in this dress, but I would even more to help you out of it." He whispered in a low husky voice that turned her on. She took a small step back and held up her arms. He lifted the fabric up over her head and it fell to the ground.

"Better?" She asked and felt his eyes run over her body.

"Much."

April's hand moved to his pants and made quick work of getting them off. She attached her lips to his neck and kissed him down. She swirled her tongue around his nipples as she went and heard him suck in a breath. She kept going until she reached the top of his boxers and then made her way back up.

They reconnected their lips and he moved them to the bed. Once they were on the bed he hovered over her and deepened the kiss. When they eventually had to pull away for air April decided to try something. She flipped them over so she was on top, straddling him. Jackson liked the view but knew there was a way to make it better and reached his arms around her back. He found the clasp of her bra, undid it, and April let it slide off onto the floor. That was better. His hands cupped her breasts perfectly and he started massaging them and pinched at her nipples. She couldn't stop the moan from escaping her mouth and when she realized she was embarrassed.

"Sorry." She said quietly and bit down on her bottom lip.

Jackson looked her in the eye. "You don't have to apologize, April. I love the sounds you make. I love knowing how good I make you feel. It's sexy and it's turning me on." He told her and proceeded to lightly grind his growing boner against her inner thigh.

April's eyes popped open, "Oh!" She said. There was a burning feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed. You're beautiful, April. I love what you do to me and want you to feel comfortable enough with me to let yourself go and feel good." She had to admit his words were turning her on. Instead of saying anything she rubbed her hands over him and rested her hand just above the bulge in his boxers. She played with the hem until she rid him of the fabric. She just stared at him for a minute enjoying the view. She was not used to this but she wanted to explore. She ran her hand up and down his length and wrapped her fist around him. She pumped up and down and heard him suck in a sharp breath. She looked up at him not sure if that was a good sound or bad.

She saw him bite down on his bottom lip and nod and took that as a good thing. She pumped him a little more before deciding to add her mouth. She had never done this before so she was nervous but she wanted to make him feel good. She lowered her mouth to him and looked up him as if asking for his permission. "Please, April." Was the response she got and she took him in her mouth. She began bobbing her head slowly but when she felt him start grinding his hips for more friction she went faster and her hands massaged his balls. This feeling of her around him was too much for him and he knew he had to stop her soon so it wouldn't end before it really began.

"April." He moaned. She glanced up at him. "April, stop" he lightly pushed her off of him.

She looked away, "Oh" her voice was quiet this time. She didn't understand. She thought he was enjoying it. Why did he want her to stop?

"No, no, April look at me." She listened to him. "It's not that I didn't like it. I liked it too much. If you kept going things would be over too soon." He explained and loved the way he could see her get excited again. "But now it is my turn to make you feel good." He smiled a devious grin and quickly flipped them back so he was once again on top.

He kissed her again and got her panting for air when he mimicked her earlier movements and kissed down her body. He spent time on each of her breasts. He took one in his mouth and tugged at her nipple causing her to moan, this time without apologies, his hand giving equal attention to the other breast and then he would switch. He got down to her panties and rubbed two fingers against her center before pulling them down her legs and adding them to the rest of their clothes on the floor. He came back up and placed open mouth kisses on her stomach and down the inside of her thigh. He hovered over her center until she was wriggling impatiently under him. He placed a single kiss over her bundle of nerves before lunging his tongue into her. She gasped and it egged him on. He replaced his tongue with one of his fingers and then added another until she was moaning his name over and over.

April felt amazing. She was surprised she able to even form his name. She never imagined she would be here in the position, especially with someone as attractive as Jackson, but here she was. She felt herself getting close and was about to cry out for more when she felt him pull away. She whimpered at the loss of contact and looked down where he was to see what was happening. Before she could ask he was climbing back up to kiss her and felt him thrust into her all the way. Her moan was lost in mouth. Suddenly feeling need to be in control she flipped them again and relished in the way it made him push in deeper. Now on top she began grinding her hips against his. She thrust herself up and down his cock until she felt him hit just the right spot.

"Jackson!" She cried out. "Do that again." She requested and when she started riding him again he met her thrusts and continued hitting that special spot.

"God you're so tight." Jackson panted. He felt himself getting dangerously close to coming and he needed her to get off first. To speed up her release he rubbed her clit in circles with his thumb.

"Mmm. Yes, oh my god! Jackson!" And she felt herself fall apart. She rode out her orgasm and soon Jackson was right there with her. Feeling her walls tighten around him was the end of it for him.

A few minutes later they were lying next to each other panting.

"That was-" April started.

"Amazing." Jackson breathed out. "You looked so sexy riding me like that. It's hard to believe you've never done that before." He kissed her neck lightly.

"I was feeling adventurous. After the way you made me feel with just your fingers and your tongue I had to." April said and snuggled closer to him.

"Best do-over first date ever." Jackson laughed throatily.

"Agreed." April faced him and placed a light kiss on his lips. She grinned down at him deviously. "Wanna go again?"

And they spent the rest of the night making love and snuggling close.

 **A/N: Longest chapter I've written so far! I was inspired because of Valentine's Day so I hope you enjoy! A lot of you are saying to bring Matthew back for some drama so I'll think about that as I write the next couple of chapters. Keep up with the reviews I'm really loving them because you're all so sweet! Are these chapters long enough? If I make them longer I won't be able to upload as often most likely so just let me know what you'd rather have! They will interact with other characters in the next chapter I promise! Thanks for reading**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **A/N: I just wanted to say that I'm pulling from a lot of different storylines from the show in this chapter and I know they didn't actually all happen at the same time but I just decided to use them like this anyway! Also I'm so happy you guys offered up other drama elements besides Matthew. I love hearing your suggestions because even though it's my story I'm writing it for your enjoyment!**

"Avery, Kepner! We've been waiting for you let's go." Mark Sloan called across the lobby of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital where he and Lexie had been sitting for the past fifteen minutes waiting for the couple to arrive. Tonight was the long awaited double date and for whatever reason the rest of them didn't understand Mark was way too excited about it. The plan for the night was to go to the old bar across town that supposedly had the best pizza and most humorous karaoke nights. It had been Lexie's idea after hearing Meredith and Christina go on about all the terrible acts they had been witness to. They all agreed that it would be a fun new experience and if all else failed they could just go hang out at Joe's.

"Sorry we're late. I got caught up talking with Hunt about a trauma I handled a few months ago. Apparently he just got a similar one and needed to pick my brain." April explained when they had finally reached the other couple.

"So who is driving?" Jackson asked as he zipped up his jacket before walking outside.

"I am." Mark offered and they all followed him to his car. Lexie took the passenger seat next to Mark which left Jackson and April in the backseat together.

"I'm really counting on this pizza. I am so hungry. I was on Derek's service today and we were in surgery for hours and he had me take care of post-op so I haven't had food in quite a while." Lexie explained.

"Speaking of Derek, how are he and Meredith doing? I heard that they're trying to have kids? Is that true or just scuttlebutt?" April asked curiously.

"It's not just scuttlebutt they really are trying, but since Meredith's miscarriage that happened, you know during the shooting, they haven't had much luck. I feel really bad for them." Lexie answered turning around so that they could hear her in the front seat.

"I think it's really rough on Derek because he came from a big loving family and he always has wanted kids, but Addison never wanted any and now Meredith is on fertility treatments." Mark shook his head feeling bad for his best friend.

"How's Callie, Mark? Still pregnant with your kid?" Jackson asked and as soon as he said it he realized that it may be a sore topic between him and Lexie still and prayed that he hadn't just made everything awkward and uncomfortable.

Mark laughed "She sure is. We should be able to find out the sex at the next appointment, but Arizona wants it to be a surprise so I don't know if we will or not. I think it's stupid not to find out because I want to be prepared, you know? I don't know anything about little girls so I would want to start trying to figure out that lifestyle as soon as I can." Mark answered and Jackson was relieved that everything seemed fine.

"I saw Callie earlier this week and I asked her about the pregnancy so we chatted for a bit. She seems really happy pregnant and she totally has that glow working for her. My guess is that it's a boy." April added to the conversation.

"That's so funny I guessed the same thing but a lot of the nurses are guessing girl." Lexie said as she settled back into her seat.

"All my life I pictured myself raising boys and passing down all my wisdom and women advice to them, teaching them how to play baseball and drive a car. But now that I'm actually in the situation I can stop thinking that it's going to be a girl." Mark told them as he pulled into the parking lot and found a spot.

"Jackson what's your guess?" Lexie asked as the hopped out of the car.

"I one hundred percent think it's a girl. Maybe I only say that because they're lesbians, but Callie just seems like a girl mom. She has so much girl power and fight in her that I could only picture her holding a baby girl." Jackson responded and April smiled at him as she linked arms with his.

They all headed inside the bar and found a booth together and were soon enjoying an extra-large meat lovers pizza.

"They were right. This pizza is to die for!" Lexie cheered excitedly as she chowed down on her slice.

"Mmm. So good." April moaned without thinking. Jackson turned to her with wide eyes knowing that she didn't want anyone finding out about their sex life yet. Lexie just laughed and Mark smirked at her across the table.

"Good pizza, April? Are you a lover of meat?" Mark couldn't help the innuendos.

April gasped. "I did it again, didn't I?" She looked at Jackson embarrassed.

Jackson nodded, "Yeah you did it again." She blushed more than he had ever seen her blush before.

She turned back to Mark and Lexie. "I'm sorry. Jackson says I make sex noises when I eat sometimes. I don't mean to." April apologized.

"How does Jackson know what you sound like during sex?" Lexie faked confusion.

April's mouth gaped open. She didn't know how to answer that. She just totally gave herself away. She looked around and they were all looking at her with knowing smiles. She sighed. "You guys know don't you?" She looked down.

"We share a house, April. Jackson's room is right across the hall from mine. We've known for a couple weeks now." Lexie gave her a sympathetic smile. She knew April wanted to keep it between her and Jackson, but she saw no reason to keep hiding the fact they knew.

"I'm just happy Jackson's finally getting laid." Mark teased. "He's so much more relaxed at work now. I thank you for that, April." He smiled at her and took another bite of his pizza.

"Oh yeah, sure, you're welcome, Mark. I did it just for you." April responded sarcastically. "Okay, well now that I know you know can we not talk about it anymore?" April asked.

"Of course we can." Jackson told her and rubbed her back comfortingly. "He wasn't supposed to say anything anyway, were you Mark?" He shot his friend a glare across the table.

April turned and stared at Jackson. "You knew that they knew? And you didn't tell me?" She sounded angry.

"April, I just knew you wanted it to be a secret for now so when I found out they knew I just asked them not to say anything so you wouldn't be embarrassed." Jackson tried explaining.

"Yeah, and look how well that turned out. You could've warned me so I would be ready. I knew that once people found out they were going to mock and tease, I knew that. And I would've been okay with that if I had known to expect it. Instead you just let me sit here and get blindsided by all of it." April was just staring at him with a look that said "How could you let this happen?"

"I'm so sorry, April. I didn't see it that way. I would never want to see you hurt, let alone be the cause. I thought I was doing what was best." Jackson apologized but April didn't want to hear it.

She shook her head, "And I told you this double date would be a bad idea." She pulled on her coat and starting standing up.

"Where are you going?" Jackson asked trying to grab her hand to pull her back down.

"Home." April stated simply.

"But we came together. Come on April, please sit down. I don't want you to go. I'm sorry." Jackson pleaded.

"You guys stay here and have a good time. Really, I don't want to ruin the fun. I'm going to call a cab." Jackson started standing up to get her to change her mind but she just pushed him back down. "I just want to be alone, Jackson." She sighed.

Lexie reached her hand out across the table to Jackson. "Just let her go for now. Give her some time." She convinced him to sit back down, but he watched walk all the way out the door.

"I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to cause any trouble, honestly." Mark said sincerely.

"I know. It's not your fault. She's right I should have known to just tell her. It wasn't fair to her." He sighed and leaned back in his seat. He would let her go home and have her time but when he got back he was going to make sure she forgave him. He wasn't ready for this.

The three of them spent the rest of the night eating pizza and listening to the really awful karaoke singers. It helped Jackson take his mind off the problem for a little while, but when the night was over and they headed back to the car he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. The car ride was pretty quiet with just a little small talk here and there, but it was fast and soon Jackson saw them pull up to their house.

"You coming in, Lex? Or staying with Mark tonight?" Jackson asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

She looked at Mark and he nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming in. Mark has an early morning anyway." She unbuckled and grabbed her purse from the floor board then turned back to Mark. "Good night." And she gave him a quick kiss before hopping out with Jackson. Mark watched them walked to the front door before driving away. They stood on the front porch for a minute. Lexie could tell Jackson was nervous. "She'll be okay. She's a little upset right now, but knows you would never purposely hurt her. Just let her know that and make sure she knows you're not going anywhere." She advised.

"Thank you, Lexie. I'm glad you're around for a woman's point of view." He smiled at her and opened the door. They stepped in and he looked up the stairs. "I'm going to go see her. Sorry tonight didn't go as planned." He said.

Lexie shrugged. "I'm not worried about it. Good night, Jackson." She said and turned to walk into the kitchen.

"Night." He replied before walking up the stairs. He paused outside her bedroom door. He was about to just walk in when he figured it might be better to knock first. He tapped his knuckles against the door lightly. "April, it me." He called through the crack when he noticed her door wasn't shut all the way. She didn't respond so he pushed the door open a little more and saw her lying on her side facing away from him on the bed. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. He walked over to her bed and gently lay down next to her and wrapped his arms around her so they were spooning. He placed a light kiss on her shoulder before resting his chin on it.

"Hey, Apes." He whispered. He knew she was awake and was just giving him the silent treatment so he went on without waiting for a response. "I know I already said this, but I'm sorry. I was thinking about what you said and I understand. I wasn't fair to you. But I just hope you understand where I was coming from. What I did wasn't coming from a bad place; I thought I was protecting you from the comments. I want to be that guy for you; the guy who keeps you from getting hurt, but I can see now I went about it the wrong way." He paused and placed another light kiss on her shoulder. "I know you're upset, but please say something, April."

"I trusted you." Was all she said.

"I know. I never meant to break that. I hope you know you can trust me. You can count on me." He told her.

"How can I know that? How can I believe you?" She still wouldn't look at him.

"April, look at me." He whispered to her. She slowly turned her head to face him. He looked her in the eyes and continued. "I care about you so much. And even though you're mad at me right now, I'm not going away. I'm here and will still be here when you want to forgive me." He said sincerely and smiled down at her.

"I'm not mad at you. I thought I was, but I'm not. I'm mad that I got so upset and I'm embarrassed about how embarrassed I got. But I'm not mad at you. I know you would never do anything to hurt me. I mean here you are apologizing for doing what you thought was going to make me happy. Not many guys would give such a sincere apology, they would just think I'm crazy for over reacting." She explained.

"You're not crazy." He told her.

"I am a little, but thank you for saying that." She smiled. "And thank you for being here. I'm sorry for ruining tonight. Especially for Mark, he was so excited for this." April laughed and Jackson was relieved to hear such a beautiful sound.

"Yeah he was pretty excited for some reason." He laughed a little too. "And you don't have to thank me." He smiled and leaned in closer to her, their lips almost touching. "You just have to kiss me." And she did. They kissed passionately until they needed air and she snuggled back into him.

"Will you stay here with me tonight? I mean it's not your room so the bed's not as big," she teased "but it just means we'll have to cuddle a little closed." She smiled.

"I like the sound of that. Of course I'll stay." Jackson agreed. He kicked off his shoes and settled in next to her. "Sweet dreams, Apes." He kissed her hair and nodded off to the steady sound of her breathing.

 **A/N: Not tons of drama, but it's something! I have more ideas to add drama in upcoming chapters, not just for them but some of the other couples too! As always I hope you continue to review! You're the sweetest**

 **P.S. I suddenly got inspired and started writing a lot and I am already half way through writing Chapter 11! There's a major event coming your way ;) I hope you guys enjoy what I've come up with!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **A/N: Omg! I'm in the double digits! Haha I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story as much as you are! Just letting you know this chapter is not focused as much on Japril and has more to do with another couple in the story. I'm hoping you like the drama I came up with for this. I'm thanking Shonda Rhimes for her storyline that I am mixing up a little in this chapter.**

Jackson woke up to hear a familiar buzzing and beeping noise. It was his pager. He groaned when he looked at the clock on his bedside table and saw that he was supposed have at least three more hours of sleep. Didn't they know he wasn't on call? He rubbed his eyes and realized that he wasn't on call, which meant that this was an emergency. He jumped at of bed and checked his pager. It said nothing out of the ordinary just stating that there was an incoming trauma.

As he was getting dressed he heard the buzzing and beeping again, but this time it wasn't his pager. The noise got louder as if more than one pager was going off and he stuck his head out of his bedroom to notice that his three roommates were all doing the same.

"Did we all just get the same page?" Alex asked with a hint of irritation in his voice that was most likely from lack of sleep. They all nodded. "Shit." and suddenly the rushing began. They were only ever all called in at the same time if it was something really urgent. Within fifteen minutes they were all ready to go and Jackson drove them all to the hospital.

When they arrived they heard the distinct voice of the Chief of Surgery, Owen Hunt, barking out orders. People were rushing past in a blur and it was hard to tell what was going on, until two gurneys went by them and they saw the familiar flash of blonde hair followed by the baby bump they all knew so well. It was Callie and Arizona.

Lexie stood frozen in her spot. Did Mark know about this? How hurt was the baby? What happened? These were all questions she had but was unable to get out of her mouth. Luckily April sprang into action.

"Hunt! We're here. What the hell happened and what can we do?" April had already managed to get on the yellow trauma gown and was working on the gloves. The boys quickly followed her lead while Lexie remained stuck in her spot waiting for Hunt's reply.

"Torres and Robbins were in car accident. They were going around a bend when a man in a pickup veered into their lane and hit them. Callie wasn't wearing her seat belt and flew through the windshield. She got the worst of it. Arizona is just being checked for a concussion. Right now all medical attention needs to be focused on Torres and the baby. Seeing as Dr. Robbins was in the accident and is unable to work we need to page another pediatric surgeon." Hunt informed them.

"I know the best surgeon there is for a trauma like this. But she's in LA. Ah hell, I'm calling her anyway." Alex said reacting the news first. He promptly ran out of the ER to find the nearest phone. Addison Montgomery would be the only to hope for Callie and the baby, Alex knew.

"Good work Karev!" Owen called after him.

"Does Mark know?" Lexie asked quietly. So quietly, in fact, that Hunt almost didn't hear her.

"What was that?" Hunt asked her to repeat.

"I said, does Mark know? The father of Callie's baby. Has he been informed?" Lexie spoke up her voice much stronger this time.

"No. I haven't paged him yet." Hunt said in a calm voice to an obviously emotional Lexie. "Dr. Grey, you could really help me out if you run down to the blood bank and get plenty of blood. I have a feeling we're going to need it." He requested knowing that she was not in the best shape to handle much else, but needing to put her to work. She nodded and walked off in the direction of the blood bank. As soon as she was out of earshot Hunt turned back to Jackson and April urgently. "Dr. Avery, I have it on good authority that you have been on Dr. Sloan's service a lot lately because you're considering Plastics as your specialty?"

"Yes, that is correct. What can I do, sir?" He stood ready to take on any task asked of him.

"I need you to go be the Plastics expert on this case until Dr. Reynold's is out of surgery and able to help. Because Mark can't work on his family I am expecting you to really step up and work as you think Sloan would." Hunt directed him.

"Of course. I'm on it." Jackson sped off to the trauma room he saw Callie rushed into just minutes earlier.

"Kepner, I need you to be my right hand man. Whatever I ask you do. Right now I need you to man the pit. We have another incoming trauma and I need you to run it. If there are any complications we find me immediately. If everything goes smoothly, again you find me immediately and I'll put you where needed on Torres' case." Hunt gave April her orders and she nodded as he went. He turned on his heels to check on Callie but quickly turned back around to add something. "Oh, and when Dr. Grey comes back with the blood send her to trauma room 3. Then put her to work in the ER." With that Hunt was off and she heard him call out to a nurse "Page Shepherd! Damn it where is he? We need a neuro consult in here!" April went straight to work preparing the ER for the next trauma.

* * *

Later that night the residents were sitting around a table in the lounge discussing everything they knew about the case thus far. Arizona had a minor concussion and was admitted so she could be monitored throughout the night. Addison Montgomery had flown in from LA on a private jet as soon as she got the call from Alex. She examined Callie and the baby and figured she needed emergency surgery if the baby were to have a chance at survival. Derek did a neuro workup and declared she needed surgery as soon as she was strong enough, but if he didn't operate soon Callie could go into brain death. He and Addison fought, as was typical of them, about the best course of action. The decision was made when Mark was finally informed and he demanded they save the baby's life knowing it's what Callie would have wanted.

Addison took her into surgery and did all she could and made sure the baby was stable inside of Callie before stating that she was not strong enough yet to undergo any more intensive operations. She was now lying in a hospital bed in the ICU in a medically induced coma. Mark and Arizona were told they had to make a decision about Callie's brain surgery within the next 24 hours. The problem now was if they said no to surgery because she wasn't strong enough she would die but the baby had a shot at life with a C-section, and if they said yes to the surgery the chances of both Callie and the baby surviving were only 30%. To Mark the answer was simple. Do whatever they could to save both lives. Arizona was torn. Did she sacrifice her wife's life for the best chance of her baby living or did she risk both lives with the surgery? It was truly an impossible decision for her especially in her injured state.

As time went by with nothing agreed on by Arizona and Mark Hunt added in another twist. He told them that if no decision was made by the time the surgery needed to be performed, they would use Mark's decision and take her into surgery. Typically this would never be an option, but Hunt decided that extraordinary measures needed to be taken in this particular case.

"I can't even imagine being in that position, needing to make such a potentially life-altering decision." April said as they all started in with their opinions on the case.

"I know exactly which option I would choose if it were up to me." Jackson said matter-of-factly.

"And what option would that be?" April asked suddenly curious. Without even realizing it his answer would give April major insight to his character.

"I'm with Mark on this one. Whatever you can do to save the most amount of lives." Jackson answered.

"Even though the chances of survival are slim to none for both lives?" April shot back.

"So, I guess we now know the option you would pick." Alex chimed in.

"As a woman," She gave both men in the room a good long look. "I have to think about what it would be like to carry and grow a baby just to lose it when there was a perfectly good shot at survival passed up."

"So you don't think Mark is considering his own child's life because he's what? Not a woman?" Jackson sat up straighter in his seat as he made his point.

April laughed incredulously. "You really believe I think that little of Mark? Of course I'm not saying he doesn't care about his baby. I just think.." she paused thinking of her next words carefully so as not to start an unnecessary dispute. She sighed and continued "I'm not saying anything against Mark's character. I just know this must be really difficult for Arizona. She had to witness the accident first hand, suffer a concussion, and now is being forced to make a decision that involves the life of her wife and child. She's been by Callie's side every day throughout the pregnancy. She made the decision to stay with Callie and help raise the baby as her own. She's had to deal with every craving and hormone imbalance her wife experience all the while still going through her own, because she is also a normal woman that has monthly mood swings. That's the only point I was trying to make about her being a woman." April explained in a much softer tone than she had started with.

Jackson nodded understanding that they both got close to pushing each other too far. A silence settled in the room for a minute until Alex began to speak.

"Moving on from the major problem of the day, but I feel bad for Meredith right now. I mean believe me I know her predicament isn't nearly as bad and I don't want to sound like a complete heartless ass but she must be feeling some type of way with Addison here. She and Derek just started fertility treatments to get pregnant and the ex-wife shows up. The stress of it all, the accident and Addison's surprise appearance, can't be good for her chances of getting pregnant right now." Alex said at the risk of getting ripped apart by his friends.

"You're right." Jackson said. "You are an ass."

"I guess I deserved that." Alex rolled his eyes and settled back in his seat.

"No, you're not. I mean you are most of the time, but not about this." Lexie finally spoke up for the first time since they entered the room. "Today has been crazy and stressful for everyone. You are allowed to be concerned for more than just the person of the hour. And you're right; none of this could be great for Meredith right now. She's already under enough stress as it is; now Addison shows up and argues over order of operations with her husband." Lexie seemed to be really thankful for the change of subject and her and Alex continued to go on about Meredith and Derek until Hunt entered the room.

They all turned their attention to him and listened as he explained what was happening. "Back to work. We need all hands for this surgery. Kepner, you'll be assisting me, Karev, Montgomery and Jackson, Mark requested you as the lead Plastics man in this operation." Hunt told them.

"Wait, they're doing the surgery?" Lexie questioned and stood up from her spot on the floor.

"Yes, Callie is being prepped right now." Hunt started walking back out the door.

"I thought you said all hands. What's my job, Chief?" Lexie asked.

Hunt turned back to her and answered, "You need to be with Mark right now. He wants to be in the gallery and I don't think that's best, but if he does sit up there he's going to need a support for sure." Lexie nodded in understanding and watched as the four of them filed out of the room and off to a surgery that could very easily be killing two of the most important lives in this hospital.

 **A/N: Hope you liked it! What do you think the surgery outcome will be? Review and let me know what you think is going to happen in the next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **A/N: Just letting you know there is not a lot of Japril in this chapter. Mark and Lexie are my second favorite couple so I couldn't resist putting in a little Slexie bit. I know that's not the favorite of most of you but I hope you can get past it because the end of the chapter is Jackson and April! Also, I haven't been getting as many reviews lately so let me know if you're still enjoying this! Chapter 12 is mostly finished and I'm giving some of you something you've been asking for there so read on!**

After watching all of her friends exit the room to scrub in on the surgery Lexie felt helpless. All day Hunt distracted her with mindless tasks and she knew why. She was too emotionally involved in the patient. Maybe if she hadn't stood frozen in shock this morning when she first found out what happened she would be in there helping them save Callie's life right now. She hadn't seen Mark all day. When she wasn't avoiding him he was busy making life altering decisions. Now the only job she was given was to go find him and comfort him. If Hunt was right and he was in the gallery she knew he wouldn't last long. He would either get into his control freak way and call through the intercom to the surgeons or he would be a blubbering mess. Either of them would be enough to distract the others and risk the success of the surgery.

She pulled herself together and headed to OR gallery to find Mark. On her way she passed the attendings lounge and Callie's room and she peeked into both just to be sure he hadn't stayed behind. She reached the door to the gallery and looked through the glass; sure enough he was there ready and waiting for the surgery to begin. She took a deep breath to prepare herself and walked in. He was watching the OR intently even though all there was to see at the moment were the scrub nurses setting up trays of tools. The door closed behind her and it sounded louder than normal, yet Mark didn't even flinch. Lexie hated when he was like this. It didn't happen very often but when it did she couldn't help but take it personally. She knew she had no reason to but it just felt like he was ignoring her, or even worse like he didn't know she existed.

She walked around and sat down in the seat next to him and waited for any sort of reaction. Nothing happened. She sighed. "Mark, it's me, Lexie, I'm here." She reached for his hand and gently intertwined their fingers. "Please look at me or say something. Anything to let me know that you know I'm here." Her voice was weak but she had to be strong for him. "Mark, please." She whispered when he still didn't react. This time he slowly turned his head to face her. Until now she hadn't seen his face straight on, only profile, and when he turned to her she saw tears streaming down his face. He had been silently crying this whole time. With her free hand she lifted it to his face and wiped the tears away with her thumb only to have them replaced by more just seconds later.

He turned away from her and said "I know you're here, Lexie." His voice was hoarse and barely audible. "I'm scared." Mark turned back and looked her in the eye. "I'm scared I'm going to lose them both." Her heart broke at his words and it took everything in her not start crying.

"I know. It's okay to be scared and it's okay to cry." Lexie gave his hand a light squeeze.

"Do you think they are going to make it?" Mark asked her.

She wasn't sure how to answer this. Normally she would give him her most honest opinion but to tell him that she did not actually think they would make it through seemed like a bad idea, so she lied. "Yes, I'm sure of it. Callie is a strong woman, one of the strongest I know, and she is one heck of a fighter." She struggled to keep her voice from shaking.

"I don't." He leaned against her. "I don't think they're going to make it. I agreed to the surgery because I would not have been to have a life where Callie's baby existed and she did not. I was selfish. And now I may never get to hold my kid or talk to Callie ever again." Mark was pretty much sobbing by this point. Lexie wrapped her arms around him and just held him while he cried. She couldn't hold it back any more and let her tears fall silently down her face.

She needed Callie to be okay. She needed Callie to live. If she died it would kill Mark. And Arizona. Lexie sat up a little bit as she realized she hadn't checked on Arizona at all. She didn't know if anyone was with her right now. Her wife was about to go into a dangerous surgery and she was all alone in a hospital with a concussion.

"Mark, you know I'm here for you. And I will stay here with you if that's what you really want, but I think there's somewhere else you need to be right now." Lexie told him.

He lifted his head to look at her. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Arizona." She said simply. "The way you're feeling right now she has to be feeling twice as bad. Her wife and child are about to undergo a very dangerous surgery and she's stuck in a hospital bed. As much as you think you need me right now you need her and she needs you. You two are Callie's whole world and even though you two bicker all the time you care for her. Mark, you need to be supporting each other right now." Lexie explained to him.

"But the surgery," Mark choked out and gestured towards the glass.

"I can stay here and watch the surgery. I can bring you two updates so you find out together. I'll make sure you're the first to know when she's out of surgery." She offered him.

"You're right. I don't need to be here. I shouldn't be here. Okay, I'll go sit with Arizona as long as you promise to keep me updated." He nodded and looked her in the eye.

"I promise, Mark." And before he left she kissed him. At first it was soft and comforting but he deepened it and she knew he was really hurting and trying like hell to make it feel better. She pulled away. "I love you, Mark. Now go be with Arizona." He nodded and proceeded out the door to Arizona's room.

* * *

A few hours and 5 updates later Lexie was taking the familiar walk to Arizona's room with the final update. As soon as she walked into the room the two knew she was about to deliver the news the both had been waiting for this whole time. Mark sat up straighter in his chair and told Arizona to relax when she tried to do the same.

Lexie waited patiently until the two were done fidgeting with each other to tell the news, "The surgery is finished. Both Callie and baby are stable and being wheeled up to recovery. Derek and Addison agreed that keeping Callie in a medically induced coma is the best recovery option right now until they are both strong enough." She explained and let a smile cross her face.

"She's okay? They're both going to be okay?" Arizona asked and Lexie could see tears forming in her eyes.

"Both surgeons are optimistic about her waking up, which is all there's left to wait for."

"When can we see her?" Mark asked started to stand.

"You, Mark, can go see her as soon as they get her settled in to her room. Arizona, Derek wants to check on your condition again before allowing you to get up." She answered them.

Arizona sighed. "I am fine. I need to go see my wife." She argued.

"Shepherd should be here in just a few minutes. As soon as he clears you, you can go see her. I can't let you get up before then." Lexie hated to keep her from seeing her wife but she was a doctor and knew how important it was to keep her on bed rest for the time being.

"I'll wait here for Derek with you and then we can go see her together." Mark decided and sat back down.

"Fine." Arizona pouted and sat back in her bed. Lexie nodded to them, turned to the door, and left them to be alone.

* * *

Back in the scrub room Jackson and April breathed a sigh of relief. Callie had made it out of surgery, but not without complications. More than once she risked the chance of bleeding out and losing the baby. Addison and Alex did not have an easy job keeping the baby alive but they managed.

"I can't believe we did it." April said happily.

"I just hope she wakes up without any damage. I really thought we were going to witness a delivery in there." Jackson was a little less optimistic about the whole thing than April was.

Finishing drying her hands April turned to him. "She's going to wake up and she's going to be fine. We just helped save her life and I can't believe anything other than she's going to be okay right now." She looked him in the eye. They were both exhausted. This day had been longest and most stressful days they've had in while and the exhilaration of the successful surgery was wearing off.

"You are right. She has to be okay. We did everything we could in there. Mark and Arizona aren't going to be single parents and Callie is going to wake up." He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than convince her. April stepped in and Jackson pulled her into a hug. He just wanted to get home and sleep this day off.

Just as they were walking out of the room they ran into Hunt. Jackson took his arm back from around April and stood at attention. "Is there anything we need to do, chief?" He asked professionally.

"No, you guys have been a big help today, so thank you for that. It's been a long day and you had to put up with more than most residents are ready for. I think you've done enough to earn the night off. Go home and get some sleep. I'll page you if her condition changes." Hunt said gratefully.

"Thank you, Dr. Hunt. The pleasure was ours; we were just doing our jobs." April smiled at him kindly before walking off towards the locker room with Jackson. Once there they met up with Alex who was just getting his stuff together to leave.

"Hey, have you seen Lexie around?" Alex asked. "We all drove here together so I don't want to leave her without a ride, but I am spent." And you could see it on his face. It made sense; he and Addison definitely had the toughest job during the operation next to Derek of course.

"I am guessing she went to update Mark and Arizona." April replied.

"Alright, I'll go check there and meet you guys in the lobby so we can head out." Alex said and walked off to find Lexie.

He was just about to give up his search when he noticed her turning into the doorway of an empty on-call room. He had already checked Arizona's room, Callie's room, and even Mark's office. Just before the door shut behind her he called out, "Lexie, wait!" She quickly turned her head and stopped when she noticed him walking towards her.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" She asked in a panicked voice.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I just couldn't find you anywhere. The three of us are about to leave for home so I just wanted to see if you were coming along." He explained.

Her expression softened, "It's okay I just thought maybe something happened with Callie. I am going to sleep here tonight in case Mark needs me or anything." And she gestured to the on call room they were standing in the middle of.

"Right. Of course. Well, let me know if you hear anything." Alex turned back to the hallway and called over his shoulder, "See you later, Lex."

Soon he was meeting up with Jackson and April in the lobby. He informed the two that Lexie was staying in an on-call room and they left for home.

About an hour later April was finished up in the bathroom and was walking back to her room to go to sleep when Jackson met her in the hall. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Come to bed with me." He requested. "Today was rough and I just want to feel you next to me." He reached for one of her hands and pulled her into his room before she could turn him down.

April was too tired and just crawled straight into his bed and slid under the blankets. Jackson climbed in next to her and held her in his arms. "The whole thing with Callie and Arizona and Mark today got me thinking." He whispered to her. "We never know when our last day will be our last day. Too many lives are lost too soon." He continued.

"Yes, I know that. And it's awful but what are you getting at?" April questioned him.

"I just don't want to miss anything. If something were to happen to either of us tomorrow I don't want to regret anything." Jackson said and kissed her shoulder.

"What do you regret, Jackson?" She had no idea where this was going.

"April, I know we haven't been together as a couple for that long, but we have been best friends for years. I know you're someone I can trust and I feel completely myself around you. And I know that if some terrible thing were to tear us apart I want you to know- no, need you to know- that I love you."

 **A/N: Aaaand I'm stopping there because I can! This conversation is to be continued in the next chapter! How do you think April will react? And how do you guys feel about the little Slexie part? Will Callie live? So many questions! All will be revealed in future chapters so keep reading and keep reviewing!**

 **P.S: Happy Grey's Day! Just one more week until #JaprilTheMovie! Ahh!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **A/N: I am really sorry some of you aren't feeling the story anymore. I got inspired with an idea and took off with it, but I am always open for new ideas! Let me know some things you want to see happen that might make the story more interesting for you. I think some of you will appreciate this chapter. A lot of you have been requesting the same thing for a few chapters now so here it is! Rated M right off the bat.**

"I love you, April." Jackson's voice was low and sincere.

April turned around to face him. "You what?" She was shocked. She was sure she hadn't heard him right.

"I love you, April." Jackson said again looking into her eyes.

His eyes were so intense and April searched them for any trace of doubt or regret over saying those words. She was only met with eyes full of love and longing. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was trying to tell him that she loved him too but she was actually speechless. She was always such a rambler and talked too much but now of all times she couldn't find her voice.

"You don't have to say it back if you're not there yet. That's not why I said it." Jackson told her before she was able to speak.

She needed to tell him she felt the same way so she took a deep breath, smiled at him and tried again. "I love you too, Jackson." She whispered against his lips. He beamed at her and sealed his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

April rolled on top of Jackson as she deepened the kiss. She knew it was late and they had a long day but she wanted to show him just how much she loved him. She took back her lips and kissed down his jaw and neck and heard him let out a soft moan. She kissed lightly up to his ear and paused. "Make love to me, Jackson." She whispered and loved the way his eyes darkened with lust.

He reattached their lips and kissed her lovingly and passionately while he let his hands slowly roam up and down the sides of her body. He wanted to know every curve by touch. He slipped his hands up her shirt and slid them across her flat stomach. She sucked in a breath and tugged his bottom lip between her teeth lightly. She worked with him to take off first her shirt and then his. She was in her pajamas so Jackson was delighted to see that April did not have a bra on. His could feel his erection starting to grow. He placed his hands back on her stomach and resumed roaming them over her body before cupping her breasts. He lightly massaged each one as he began kissing her neck. His touch was soft and gentle but he wasn't omitting any of the pleasure.

"Mmm." April moaned. The way he touched her made her body feel on fire and totally relaxed. It was unlike any other touch. Wanting to make him feel as good as he was making her feel she pulled off the fabric on the bottom half of his body along with hers and then wrapped her hand around him. She could feel him grow harder in her hand as she began moving her hand up and down. Before long she had taken him in her mouth and was teasing him with her tongue. Her mouth and hand worked together slowly adding more suction closer to the tip. She glanced up at him and saw his head was thrown back and eyes were closed.

"April," Jackson groaned. She worked him a little bit longer and stopped when she knew he was close. At the loss of contact Jackson took the opportunity to flip them so he was hovering over her now. He locked eyes with her for a minute before he slowly scanned them down her body. He wanted to remember how she looked in this moment. As his eyes dropped lower so did his mouth and soon his tongue was circling her clit. She gasped at the contact and Jackson watched her face as he slipped two fingers inside her. "You're so wet." He said his voice husky. He saw her cheeks blush at the comment. "I love it." He added. He pumped his fingers in and out and listened to her breathing. He added a third finger and pushed into her as far as he could and she moaned loudly. The noise turned him on and he moved his fingers faster. He wanted to make her come before entering her. He resumed his tongue circling movements as he continued to pump his fingers into her.

"Shit, Jackson. Mmm." She called out. Her head was thrown back and her hands gripped at the sheets. She was so close and with a few more pumps he curled his fingers and hit the spot that made her see stars. And she was done. She chanted out his name as her orgasm took over her.

He gave her some time to come down from her high before smirking at her. "Ready for round 2?"

"Hell yes." She answered and waited for him to roll on a condom. He soon settled over her and when she was ready he entered her fully. He wanted this time to be loving and gentle instead of rough and dirty. His thrusts were slow but he was still able to get a moan out of her every time he entered. He found her hands, placed them on either side of her head, and intertwined their fingers. She closed the gap between their faces and kissed him softly but deeply. As much as she loved the times when he would pound into her and make her toes curl under she loved the closeness between them this time.

They kept a steady pace going until she broke apart the kiss and leaned her head back. Her eyes closed and she bit her lip as he nuzzled his face in her neck to kiss and suck on her sweet spot. April's breath hitched as she got closer to her climax. Jackson brought his lips to her ear. "Come for me, baby." He whispered. And for the second time that night April was overcome with wave after wave of pleasure. Her moans helped Jackson over the edge and he too was on the most natural high.

A little while later Jackson rolled back to his own spot on the bed and let April rest her head on his chest. "I love you, April." He repeated to her.

"I love you too, Jackson." She kissed his chest and let herself nod of listening to the steady sound of his heartbeat.

* * *

The next morning they got up and dressed and had some breakfast. They both kept checking their pagers and phones in hopes of some news about Callie. It wasn't until they were already heading out the door to work that their pagers went off. April jumped at the sound and quickly pulled the beeping object out of her pocket and looked at it. It was about Callie. As soon as she, Jackson, and Alex were in the car they sped off to the hospital.

When they arrived at the hospital they ran in and went straight to Callie's room on the 4th floor. The elevator dinged and opened its doors for them to get off at their level and the three of them joined the crowd of people around the door to her room.

Jackson pushed his way to the front to peek into the room. He needed to see it for himself. Sure enough he saw Mark and Arizona sitting on either side of the bed Callie was lying awake in. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Mark who had caught his eyes. "She's awake" Was all Jackson said.

Mark nodded and smiled back at him, "She's awake" he confirmed.

Jackson backed away and let the others through. Callie had survived against all odds. Her recovery would not be easy and she would be out of work for a while, but all that mattered was that she was alive. He stayed behind while the crowd slowly dissipated so that he could spend some time talking with Mark and Arizona about all the details and make sure Callie's healing was coming along. By the time he left the room it was his lunch break so he made his way to the cafeteria to find food. He went through the line and picked up a chicken caesar wrap and a bottle of water before joining April and Lexie at their table.

Jackson noticed as he was walking over that they seemed to be talking secretively about something and when he sat down next to April their conversation quickly ended. "Did I just interrupt something?" He motioned between the two of them. "Should I leave?" He looked around to see who they could possibly be so worried about overhearing.

"Oh, it was nothing, really." April lied badly. She took a bite of her food to avoid saying anything else.

Jackson eyed them suspiciously. Lexie was trying not to look him in the eye knowing that if she did she would give it up. And right as she was about to break she saw a woman walk up behind Jackson and took that as her cue to leave. She gave April a look that she obviously understood perfectly and the two of them were gone leaving Jackson sitting alone. Or so he thought.

"There's my handsome son!" He heard the voice too late and had no chance to run. Now he understood the girls' previous action. Jackson put on a smile and turned around.

"Mom! What are you doing here?" He stood up and held out his arms to hug her.

"Am I not allowed to stop by and check in on my favorite son?" Catherine faked offense.

"Your only son." He corrected her. "You are, of course, but that's never the only reason." Jackson gave her a knowing look.

"Okay, you're right. I'm here to assist Dr. Webber in a surgery tomorrow, but I thought I'd fly in early to see you." She explained and sat down across from him at the table. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well, mom." This time he smiled genuinely thinking about how things were going with April and his work.

"Okay, spill." She said noticing the smile difference. "Who's the girl? Tell me it wasn't one of the two who just scurried off when they saw me coming." She pressed.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Mom!"

"Don't tell me there's not a girl. I know a love struck smile when I see one. So I'm going to give you another chance to tell me." She wagged a finger at him.

"Fine, there is a girl. And things are going great between us right now so I really don't want you to meddle." Jackson told her.

"Me? Meddle? Never." She gasped and Jackson just looked at her. "Well, I expect to meet her before I leave tomorrow." He failed to tell his mom that she has actually already met her. Catherine started gathering her things and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I should go meet with Richard and discuss the surgery tomorrow." She answered. He quickly stood up and gave her hug before she walked out. And he was alone again. This was getting to be a very lonesome lunch.

* * *

A few hours later Jackson was leaving a patient's room after checking on his healing burns when he saw April filling out charts at the nurses station. He walked up behind her silently and squeezed her sides. She jump and quickly turned around to see who it was that had scared her.

"Jackson!" She hit his chest lightly. "You scared me!" She giggled as he snaked his arms around her and leaned his forehead against hers.

He smiled. "That was my intention" he told her. His hands slid down from her back to her butt and he squeezed lightly.

April gasped. "We are at work. In front of patient rooms." She took a small step away from him.

He stepped forward regaining the closeness. "I'm sure I could find us an on-call room." He winked at her and she almost fell for it but shook her head and stepped away again instead.

"I can't. I have a surgery in just a few minutes." She told him and tried to ignore the disappointed look on his face. "What did your mom want?" She asked changing the subject.

"She assisting in a surgery tomorrow, but she couldn't resist checking up on my love life." He answered.

"What did you tell her?" April was curious and nervous because she knew how Catherine could get. That woman could medal in meddling if it were a sport.

"I just told her that I am in a relationship and do not want her meddling." He said as if reading her mind. "But she's insisting on meeting you after Webber's surgery tomorrow."

Her eyes widened. "She's assisting Dr. Webber? She can't be. I'm supposed to be scrubbing in on that surgery tomorrow. Your mom is obsessed with my sex life if we are in there together she's going to start asking questions. I don't want to get you in trouble with your mom if she figures it out before you tell her." April explained to him.

"She has to found out at some point. What do you suggest?" Jackson wasn't as worried about it, but since he knew April was he would just go along with what she wanted.

"We invite her to dinner tonight and we let her know then." She planned.

"Whatever you say." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. "Now go kick ass in surgery." And he watched walk off towards the ORs before heading off to let his mom know the change in plans. Tonight was going to be interesting.

 **A/N: To all you Mama Avery fans, I hope you liked this. There is more to come in the next chapter of course; I know this was only a little. I think it's funny how many people requested her. I have never been all that interested in her character. I mean I enjoy the scenes she's in on the show but she's just not my favorite. I hope I can do her justice for you all.**

 **P.S.: What did you guys think of the new episode? I liked it even though it was lacking Japril, but the promo for #JaprilTheMovie hit me right in the feels. Really excited, but also really nervous, for next week's episode!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **A/N: Dinner with Mama Avery! Who's excited?**

Jackson had arrived home before anyone else and began work on dinner. He thought a homemade meal would be better than going to restaurant because his mom had always been impressed by his talent in the kitchen. He figured he would need all the help he could get tonight after his talk with his mom earlier.

After April had walked off to her surgery he had found his mom coming out of the attendings lounge. "Mom." He called out to get her attention. She turned around and he noticed that her face was flushed and her hair was messed up. A few seconds later Dr. Webber slipped out of the same room hurrying to put on his lab jacket.

"Mom?" His face twisted into confusion and then disgust. His mom just had an at work fling and he had to witness it. Or at least, the aftermath of it. Catherine walked closer to her son but he put his hands up and stepped back before she could reach him. "I was going to talk to you about coming over for dinner tonight, but I can see you have your hands full with surgery research, so I'll leave you to it." He said sarcastically before turning to walk away.

"Nonsense, Jackson" she continued walking towards him until she reached him. "Just because I am your mother doesn't mean I can't have a sex life." Catherine told him calmly and put her hand up to rub his back.

"Stop, please. Do not touch me. I am at work. You are in my place of work fooling around with my chief of surgery. _That_ is what I am not okay with." Jackson kept his voice low so no one would overhear. He didn't need this getting around the hospital. He gave her one more uncomfortable look before turning away once again. He was half way down the hall before he turned around and added, "Oh, and fix your hair, for Christ's sake, Mom!"

Jackson had eventually cooled off and found her again to invite her over for dinner. She happily agreed especially once she knew it was his girlfriend's idea. And now he was home preparing one of his mother's favorite dishes: chicken piccata with a side of angel hair pasta topped with a pesto sauce. He used to make this meal for her a lot when he lived at home with her and she didn't come home until later in the evening because of meetings. He had also made it once for his roommates before the shooting, so he knew April liked it. He was just getting ready to set the table when he heard the front door open.

"I am so sorry I'm late. The surgery ran longer than expected. But I'm home and ready to help." April called out before entering the kitchen.

Jackson kissed her cheek to greet her. "Hey, that's alright. I have things under control with dinner if you want to set the table?" He asked.

"Of course. When did you tell your mother to come?" April grabbed the plates down from the cabinet and began setting the table like he asked.

"She should be here in about fifteen minutes. Just enough time to finish everything." He answered her while stirring the sauce slowly. "So you want to know what I witnessed today after you left for surgery?" He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Yes, tell me." She said.

"My mother sneaking out of the attendings lounge with Richard Webber right behind her. Complete with sex hair and missing clothing. Turns out she's having an affair with our chief of surgery." He laughed painfully proving to her the awkwardness of the situation.

April faced him and her eyes went wide. "What? You're kidding? Didn't Dr. Webber's wife just die? He certainly doesn't waste any time." She shook her head.

"You know what this means, right?" Jackson said.

"That it's going to be very awkward in the OR tomorrow?" April guessed.

"Now that she's found someone to –you know- 'date' she's going to be even more interested in our relationship. If she's happy in a relationship she does what she can to make sure everyone else is too." He explained and right on cue the doorbell rang.

"Oh boy. Let the meddling begin." April went to go answer the door with a glass of wine to offer Jackson's mother.

As soon as April opened the door and Catherine saw her she was so confused. "April? What are you doing here? I have a date with my son and his new girlfriend." She questioned clearly not understanding why April was home. Catherine and April had met several times and were even Facebook friends at one point before Jackson asked her not to be. She even knew that they were roommates so her being in the house in general wasn't confusing just why she was there when Jackson's girlfriend was joining them for dinner was.

"Yes, I know." April replied and traded Catherine's coat for the glass of wine.

"It was nice of you to let me in, dear, but shouldn't you be heading out or something?" Catherine eyed her.

April just led her into the dining room and said "No, I am staying for dinner."

Catherine noticed the place settings on the table. There were only three. "April, I am only counting three place settings here. So, if you are having dinner with us that either means we need one more place setting or that you are the girlfriend I am supposed to be meeting." As she said the last part she started putting the pieces together.

"Hey, ma! I hope you are hungry because I made your favorite." Jackson walked in from the kitchen carrying the food out with him.

His smile was met with a steady stare. "Jackson, why did you fail to mention that I have already met your new girlfriend? And more so, that your new girlfriend is April Kepner?" He couldn't tell if she was mad or relieved.

"That's what tonight was about, mom. And it was actually April's idea." Jackson replied and sat down at his seat motioning for the two women to follow.

"It was April's idea to keep this a secret from me?" Now she sounded upset.

"No, it was my idea to tell you about us tonight. We have surgery together tomorrow and I just wanted you to know before we go into it." April explained nervous of her reaction.

"How long has this been going on?" She asked motioning between the couple.

"A few months." Jackson told her.

Catherine laughed a little. "My son has been hiding his relationship from me for a few _months_? I could maybe understand if it were someone you just met, but you've known April for years. Heck, I've known April for years."

"Mom, what exactly are you upset about? Because if you are disapproving of April-" Jackson started to say before his mother cut him off.

"I am upset that my son has been in a relationship for months with such an inspiring and talented woman that I have known for years and didn't see fit to tell me sooner. I'm betting that I wouldn't have found out at all if I hadn't flown in for this surgery. I am upset that you thought that little of me." Catherine explained.

"I am sure you would have found out soon what with how you and Richard have been. I didn't tell you because I think bad of you, mom. You just know April as a friend because that's all we have been for a long time now. Things only just got really serious between us. I didn't want you to know until then because you meddle, mom. And this time I wanted to make sure the relationship worked out because of me, and not because of some scheme you may have come up with." Jackson told her sincerely and held one of April's hands under the table for support.

Catherine eyed the two of them for a minute before sighing. "Okay, fine, I believe you and forgive you. I'm hungry and the food smells delicious. Let's eat." She smiled and handed her plate to her son to have it filled with food.

For the remainder of the meal they ate and talked happily about what's been going on at work as well as their lives. Catherine mentioned Richard here and there and April would laugh at how uncomfortable it obviously made Jackson feel. April was thankful for a nice dinner with easy conversation. So often with Jackson's mom she would be questioned about her sex life and her plans for the future in both work and personal life so she was very relieved when none of that had come up during dinner. They then had cleared the table and retreated into the living room to continue chatting.

"I just wanted to clear something up really quickly." Catherine started. "Before when you were asking why I was upset you thought that I was mad about April. Of course I am not. April, you are a bright and talented young woman and I am more than happy that you are the one that stole my son's heart." Catherine smiled at April.

"Thank you so much for saying that. I am really relieved to hear that actually. I always thought you thought I was too uptight and kind of manic." April said.

"I am sure you did think that because that's what I said. But I also said that it could all be fixed with a little sex. And I am assuming that's happening now. So there's nothing to be worried about." Catherine replied and Jackson nearly choked on his drink.

"Mom! Could you maybe not go there? First you and Webber in the hospital and now this. My sex life, especially one that contains April, is a topic that is off limits for you." Jackson told her and noticed April's blush.

"Oh that's fine, honey. April's face tells me everything I need to know anyway." Catherine pointed out which just made the blushing worse.

"Oh my. Would you look at the time? It's getting pretty late and we have a big day tomorrow in surgery so I think I should get some rest." April said wanting to change the topic so bad that she basically kicked Catherine out.

"No need to be embarrassed, dear. But, I'll go now anyway. See you in surgery tomorrow." Catherine winked at April and stood up.

"Let me walk you out, mom." Jackson said and stood up from his seat too. He walked his mother over to the door where they were out of earshot from April.

"I wasn't bad tonight. I was on my best behavior." Catherine said to him before she could hear his familiar scolding.

"You were good tonight, for the most part. As good as can be expected with you I guess." Jackson teased and helped his mom into her coat.

"Thank you for a lovely meal." Catherine chose to ignore the digs at her. "I love you, my baby boy." She kissed his cheek.

Jackson rolled his eyes at the affection, but returned the gesture regardless. "I love you too, ma. Drive safe and if I don't see you beforehand, be nice in surgery." He wagged a finger and looked at her sternly. She waved a hand at him over her shoulder as if shrugging off the comment and walked off to her car to go back to her hotel.

Jackson shut the door behind her and went back to the living room where April was.

"Well she was going good for a little while there I guess we have to give her that." April giggled.

"I told you the happier she is the more she is going to pry. And I won't be in surgery with you tomorrow so good luck." Jackson wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Oh man, you're right you won't be there and Dr. Webber will be there too. Do you think him being there will make it better or worse?" April asked him.

"She is going to ask what she wants to ask about our relationship no matter who is in the room. With Dr. Webber there it will probably just feel worse than it is. I told her to be on her best behavior so my fingers are crossed for you." Jackson explained.

April sighed and leaned into him. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until April yawned.

"You should get to bed. Rest up." Jackson told her.

"Let me just help you with the dishes and then we can go up to bed together." April suggested.

"No, no. You are the one with the surgery in the morning you are the one who gets to sleep. I can finish the dishes just fine." He convinced her.

"Okay, fine. But you're going to come back to me, right?" She asked to make sure he would be joining her in bed later.

"Of course I am. Now go. I'll meet you up there in a few minutes." He lightly pushed her up from her seat and she listened to him and headed off to bed.

 **A/N: Guys I need your help! This story is boring right now. I can feel it too. I am running out of ideas and would love suggestions! I am going to hold off writing any more chapters in advance until I get some feedback so I can make sure it is something you want to read! Please just don't leave nasty comments. If you don't like the story either don't comment/read or offer up your ideas instead of being mean about it! Thanks for your help and support!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **A/N: You guys left so many sweet messages on the last chapter! Thank you so much. So it seems like a lot of you like that there isn't a ton of drama which is how I imagined this story in the first place so that makes me happy! I do, however, have some things planned. It won't be super crazy I don't think but I'm just going to wing it like I did with my last idea and hope that you will stick with it!**

 **P.S.: I skipped the whole surgery with Catherine, Richard, and April because I wasn't loving the dialogue I was coming up with. Sorry! That doesn't mean there won't be more Catherine scenes in the future ;).**

A few weeks had passed since Callie woke up and she was still staying in the hospital. She was able to get out of her bed and walk around; it was part of her physical therapy. She was getting frustrated at having to stay in the hospital with all the progress she had made but Addison reminded her that she had to stay until her baby was born. Because of the trauma Callie had undergone with the baby inside her Addison wanted to be able to monitor her and the baby every day just to make sure there were no unexpected complications.

Mark and Arizona entered Callie's room and held up paint swatches. Mark held a pale peachy pink shade and an emerald green shade while Arizona held a sky blue and pastel yellow. They both had goofy grins on their faces which caused a confused look to appear on Callie's.

"What are those?" Callie asked.

"These are paint swatches." Mark answered plainly to which Callie rolled her eyes at.

"I can see that, but what are they for?" She adjusted in her bed.

"For the nursery, silly. We thought we could pick out some colors to get an idea and let you choose your favorite." Arizona explained and brought them over to her. "Since we are supposed to find out the sex today we thought this would be a good way to help you out of your slump and get excited for the news."

"Arizona picked an option for a boy, I picked for a girl, and we each picked our favorite gender neutral shade to give you more options." Mark told her and handed over his own swatches.

Callie accepted the swatches. "And you guys actually agreed on this?" She was surprised.

"I assure you it was all very civil." Mark replied. "Once we find out today we can call the painters to get the room ready so it will have plenty of time to air out before we decorate and actually put a baby in there."

"So what do you think?" Arizona asked anxiously. These days you could never know how Callie would react to anything. Being stuck in the hospital was making her stir crazy and the whole accident just put a damper on the pregnancy for her.

"Think about what?" Addison asked as she walked in the room ready to do the ultrasound.

"The color for the nursery. We brought paint swatches." Arizona told her and Callie held up the options for her to see.

"Oh, very nice. I love that you have some gender neutral colors mixed in there besides the typical pink and blue.

"I like the pink and blue shades you chose and I love the idea of gender neutral but how about this. Why don't we do pink with yellow accents for a girl or blue with green accents for a boy?" Callie responded with a smile creeping onto her face. She was so tired of being on bed rest. She loved being pregnant, but not when she unable to do her job or go home. But little things like painting the nursery reminded her that in the end it would all be worth it because the three of them were going to be perfect parents to a precious baby.

"I like the way you think, Torres." Mark smiled at her happily.

"That sounds perfect!" Arizona cheered and took the swatches back from her so Addison could prepare her for the ultrasound.

"Okay, Callie. You know that you typically find out the sex of the baby at 18 weeks. I understand you had previously decided not to know the sex and then the accident happened so you are now at 34 weeks. Because of the accident and the surgery you are at risk for premature labor which is why you are being kept on bed rest. Are you ready to see how this little peanut is doing?" Addison informed them and began running the ultrasound with the screen moved so they couldn't see it until they asked. Whenever Addison had a doctor as a patient she liked to make sure they couldn't see because they may misinterpret something and freak out before it's necessary.

Callie nodded. "Yes, I am ready. Can you please keep the screen turned though? I don't want to be my own doctor right now and I know that's what will happen if I look at the screen before you print out the pictures." She requested.

"Of course. So I see ten fingers and ten toes, the heartbeat is steady and strong and all features and characteristics are coming along as they should be." Addison told them as she kept her eyes steady on the monitor.

"I hope it's a girl." Mark said out of nowhere. They all turned to look at him. "I wasn't going to say anything, but I couldn't help it. I see the way you two are. You are both such strong women and I can't help but picture holding a little baby Callie in my arms." Mark let his soft and fuzzy side show and the three women awed at him sweetly.

"Well, Addison?" Callie turned to her expectantly.

"I'm happy to tell you that you are carrying a perfectly healthy baby girl." Addison smiled and rolled her chair back a little to let them share this moment as a family.

Callie instantly started crying happy tears and Arizona beamed at her. She was so happy to see Callie enjoying this moment of pregnancy. This was the type of joy she should have been feeling this whole time. Mark had tears of happiness rolling down his cheeks and he leaned in the hug Callie and then Arizona.

"We're having a girl!" Mark repeated excitedly.

"Pink and yellow it is then." Arizona said and held up the paint swatches in confirmation.

Addison came back to her post and continued informing them about the health of the baby for a few more minutes before cleaning Callie up and gathering her things.

"Congratulations, you guys. You really deserve all the happiness." Addison said before leaving them alone.

They sat and discussed the nursery decorations and such until they heard a knock on the door. Jackson opened the door slightly and poked his head in. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." He said politely.

"Nonsense! Can I tell Jackson the good news?" Mark asked to make sure it was okay for people to know. Callie nodded in approval.

"What news?" Jackson opened the door and leaned again the frame.

"It's a girl!" Mark told him excitedly.

"That's awesome! Congratulations! I know that's what you were hoping for. I guess the nurses really do know best around here." Jackson remembered guessing the sex during their very short double date.

"Ha. Who would've guessed?" Callie laughed a bit.

"So, Avery, was there something you needed?" Mark asked noticing the folder he was holding in his hands.

"Oh, right! I need you for a consult if you have time." He said and Mark got up from his seat.

"Duty calls girls. I'll come back by later before I leave to check in." Mark said his goodbyes before leaving with Jackson. "Thank you for getting me out of there." He said as soon as the door was closed behind them.

"It looked like you were enjoying your time together?" Jackson questioned.

"I mean I am happy about finding out and even happier that Callie is finally smiling again, but there's only so much estrogen I can handle at once." He told him.

Jackson laughed and handed him the folder, "Well then the pleasure was all mine."

He accepted the folder and opened it up. "Tell me about this case."

* * *

"So did you hear? You guessed wrong." Jackson told April later that night as they were getting ready for bed.

"Guessed wrong about what?" She was really confused.

"The baby. Turns out the nurses know more than we thought. Callie is having a girl." He told her as he slid into the bed.

"Oh my gosh that's so great! Mark must be really excited I know that he was hoping for a girl." April smiled at the thought. She was really happy for her friends. They had been through so much and they deserved this good news.

"Yeah, he really is. He even picked out paint swatches for the nursery with Arizona. I could never see Mark as a dad until these past months. He has really stepped up." Jackson pondered.

April slipped into the bed next to him and they snuggled into their typical positions. They had been sleeping together like this pretty much every night. Or at least every night they were home together when they weren't on call. April's room was pretty only used for closet space anymore. Sometimes when they would lay together at night she would think about the future and wonder if they would get their own place together. She loved her roommates but sometimes she just wished they weren't there so she and Jackson could have a little more privacy. And with the talk about the baby she thought it would be a good night to talk to Jackson about some of these ideas.

"Jackson?" She said softly to grab his attention.

"Yeah, babe?"

"Do you ever think about the future for us?" She asked.

"All the time." He answered her. "Why are you asking?" He turned to look at her.

"I was just thinking about it like I sometimes do at night when we're like this. Do you think we should find a place of our own?" She was nervous to ask him but she was too curious not to.

"I think about this too. Especially after those couple of times when Alex almost walked in on us. I definitely think that would be the next step to take in our relationship." He answered her with a small smile.

"I think we should. I just don't want it to be too early and mess anything up." April worried out loud.

"I don't think that's anything to be worried about at all. I mean we are already living together. We spend every night together already and nothing has gone wrong yet. The only thing wrong here is that we share the house with Lexie and Alex who also are in relationships. The house gets crowded and I don't hate it but I think we would do well on our own and it would be a good thing for our relationship." He responded thoughtfully before kissing her cheek.

"You're right. We pretty much are living the life we would be living just with extra people to cook and clean for. Should we do it then? Or should we hold off a little longer?" April couldn't help all the questions she had.

"Yeah, I think we can start looking at places to get an idea of what we want and what our budget is."

"We should make a list of things we want so when we look we can see what is realistic and what we may need to live without for now. Probably an apartment is what will fit our budget best at the moment if we can get a lease so down the road we can get a house-." April was talking fast and going with all the ideas swirling around in her head and Jackson had to cut her off.

He chuckled. "Slow down there. We don't have to do it all right this second. Our next day off together we can see if there are any open houses. Right now, though, I have some other ideas." Jackson said quietly as he began kissing her neck.

April's eyes darkened with lust when she felt his lips against her skin. "Oh do you now?"

"Mhm." He moaned against her lips before smashing them together. Before she knew their clothes were off and he was on top of her.

They spent the next few hours switching positions and getting each other off until they were both panting and too tired to move. They snuggled back into each other and were soon peacefully asleep.

 **A/N: Okay, so not much to this chapter but it will help move their relationship along. Some twists are lying ahead for the couple as well so look forward to that in upcoming chapters!**

 **I am thinking about making updates just once or twice a week instead of everyday like I have been doing. This will give me more time to write and get your feedback from the previous chapter before uploading the next one. What do you guys think about that? I was thinking if it's only once a week I could upload either Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. But I'll let you guys decide! Tell me what do of the week you'd prefer I update and whatever days gets the most love I will make it then! Thanks for your dedication to the story. I'm so happy you are enjoying it! I have a lot of ideas again so hopefully it won't feel boring anymore!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **A/N: Yay! I'm happy you all enjoyed Chapter 14.** **Some of you suggested Jackson cheat on April but I'm not sure how I feel about that. I feel like he is too much of a good guy to do that, but bringing back an old flame is not out of the question! I am definitely taking your suggestions you just may not see them played out right away because of the storyline I have in mind right now. But just because I don't use them now doesn't mean I won't use them at all. I really enjoy the way this Chapter came out so I hope you do too- it is kind of a Grey's Anatomy Japril story meets House Hunters!**

"We need at least two bedrooms, one for us and one to have as a guest room. A good kitchen for to cook in and of course all appliances need to be installed already." April told Jackson as she wrote out a checklist. It was their first day off together since their talk about the future and moving in. They were currently eating breakfast and making out a wish list before meeting with a realtor to check out available apartments.

"Appliances?" Jackson asked as he began to load the empty dish washer with their dirty dishes.

"Yeah, washing machine, dryer, dish washer" she motioned to him loading the dishes. "and things like that. I don't want to have to save up quarters just so I can have clean clothes. So a washing machine is a must to do laundry." She told him and underlined 'appliances on the paper.

"Okay fair enough." He shrugged in agreement.

"Let's talk location." April said moving on.

"How about something closer to the hospital. That way we can spend a little extra time together in the mornings before work." Jackson winked at her.

Her eyes widened, but she didn't say anything and just proceeded to quickly jot down 'location!'.

Jackson smirked at her before continuing. "I think I saw a sign the other day for the new apartment complex just around the corner from the hospital. Making that will have something good for us." He suggested.

"Oh yeah, I know the one you're talking about. They did seem like pretty good apartments from what I've heard. I'll be sure to mention that today so we can check them out." She agreed.

"Okay, I think we have a pretty good list to go off of now. We should get going." Jackson said after he glanced down at his watch.

April hopped up from the counter and grabbed her purse before checking herself over in the mirror. They then made their way to the car with April in the passenger side and Jackson driving like normal.

The drive was a pretty short one, April knew, but she couldn't seem to sit still. This did not go unnoticed by Jackson.

"What's wrong, Apes?" He asked her as he peeked over at her and put his hand on her knee to help steady her.

"I am just anxious, I guess. I have never lived alone with a man before which makes me a little nervous. But at the same time I am overly excited to be starting a life with you. I mean we haven't even been together as a couple for an entire year and here we are going to look at apartments together. It feels right, but nothing like I have ever known before." April explained to him as best as she could.

"I understand where you are coming from. This is new for me too and I guess I am also a little anxious. But I love you so I know we have nothing to worry about." Jackson comforted her with his words.

"I love you too, Jackson." She gave his hand a light squeeze and kissed it before returning it to him so he could park.

They pulled into the realtor office parking lot and gave each other a supportive nod before walking inside holding hands.

* * *

Later that night the couple went out to dinner to discuss the apartments they had seen earlier in the day. The waiter came over to take their orders and left them a bottle of wine. Once they had finished ordering and the waiter had walked away Jackson poured them both a glass of the wine.

"Okay, let's talk about the three main contenders." Jackson said and took a sip from his glass.

April pulled out her small red notebook and began to read of some of the notes she had taken that day. "Option one had all the appliances I wanted and a gorgeous bathroom, but there was no guest room. That was the one under our budget. About a twelve minute drive to the hospital which is better than we have now at the house.

"Option two also had all the appliances and had both a master bedroom and a guest room. The bathroom was a little small and cramped and it was further away from the hospital than the first place. This was the one in our budget.

"Option three has everything we want and more with the gorgeous open concept layout and a perfect view of the city. And it is only five minutes away from the hospital. But it is over our budget." She finished reading and sighed as she reminisced on the beauty of the third apartment.

"So I think by just going off of our checklist and keeping the budget in mind the second apartment is the most practical one. But I can tell that you really love the third apartment and I have to admit that I do too. The only thing with that one is that it was priced over our budget." Jackson said.

"If I put in for a few extra shifts in the ER at night that would get us to the budget for the third apartment. I mean it is the perfect place. We would have room to entertain, the separate bathroom are awesome if we were to have guests stay over, plus it's move in ready." April smiled at the thought of living there.

"It is definitely worth it. Especially if it has you smiling like that." He smiled and saw April suddenly blush. He thought it was the cutest thing ever when she blushed like that at the slightest compliment. "Let's do the third one."

"But can we afford it?" She asked nervously.

"I have a little secret." He said quietly and she sat up straighter in her chair. "I have money. Correction, I have a lot of money. I am an Avery, after all. I never like to use it though. Or at least I never did before because there was never anything worth spending it on. My mom raised me to believe that just because we have a lot of money doesn't mean we should take advantage of it. So I have been saving it all this time. I planned to use it in the future when I needed it to pay for things like a house, a wedding, and kids' college funds. And this falls under one of those categories so you don't need to pick up any extra shifts and we can get the third apartment." Jackson explained to her.

April felt her mouth hanging open. Not as if in shock but more like she was trying to say something and it would not come out. When he finished speaking she closed her mouth and thought about what he said. "I don't know why I am surprised. I know you are an Avery and that your family has a lot of money. Wait, did you say kids?" She just realized what he had said was now more curious than ever about what his plans were for his future.

"Yes. I want kids someday. I always imagined myself being a dad somewhere down the road. My dad was never a big part of my life growing up and I just knew I wanted to be the dad I never had." Jackson told her honestly. He had never talked about this before. About his money, his plans for the future, or his dad.

"I think you would make a great dad. There were only two things I was sure about regarding my future when I was younger. I wanted to be a doctor and I wanted to get married and raise a family. I guess that's kind of three things but you get the point." April responded.

"April," Jackson said a little quieter than before. She looked at him and waited for him to go on. "What does it mean that we are having this conversation?" He had never talked about kids or marriage in any of his past relationships so he didn't know what to make of it.

"Relationships go one of two ways. You break up or you get married. If you want to get serious with somebody you have to talk and figure out if you have the same views for the future or not. It doesn't have to mean you are making plans with that person or that you are ready for any of that to happen right then and there, but you are just seeing if your views are compatible." April explained to him kindly understanding what he meant.

Before Jackson could say anything back to her the waiter arrived with their food and the conversation was dropped. But he thought on what April had said. Break up or marry. He was definitely not planning on breaking up with her anytime soon and he had to admit that he could see himself marrying her one day. The waiter walked away and they began to eat their food.

"So, I'll call Lisa first thing in the morning then and let her know we are going to go with apartment three!" April cheered excitedly and circled the number three in her notebook a couple of times to give a sense of finality.

"Yes we are! Now what did you order? That looks delicious." Jackson asked as he tried to sneak a bite of her food.

"I got the lamb chops. You got the steak, right? I want to try that." April told him and let him steal a bite of food of her plate while she took a bite from his.

"Mmm. I think I going to order that next time." He said after he finished his taste of her lamb.

"No way. You have to keep getting the steak so I can steal bites because it is amazing!" She laughed.

They continued laughing and teasing and sharing each other's food for the rest of the meal. After they finished their shared dessert pie Jackson asked for the check so they could get going. They had decided they needed to tell Lexie and Alex they found a place of their own sooner rather than later so they were hoping to catch them up before it got too late.

They arrived home about an hour later and found Lexie and Alex hanging out in the living room watching a football game.

"Hey guys, we wanted to talk with you about something." Jackson said and took a seat on the end of the couch. April followed and sat next to him so they were facing the other two.

"What's up?" Lexie asked casually only looking up for a second before putting her eyes back on the television screen.

"Well, we just wanted to let you guys know that we went out apartment shopping today." April told them slowly.

Alex looked up at them with a confused look on his face. "Why? Does Meredith want this place back?"

"I don't know why she would Derek built her that huge house just for the two of them. She couldn't possibly want to come back to this place." Lexie butted in. Neither of them understanding what April had told them.

"No, she doesn't want this house back. April and I went out today to find our own place for just the two of us." Jackson clarified.

Both of them instantly snapped their heads away from the screen and looked at the couple. "You're moving out?" Lexie asked.

"Yes. We found a place we really like and we are going to call about getting it first thing in the morning." April told them.

"I figured Lexie would be moving in with Sloan before you two would be moving in together." Alex gave a small laugh before he noticed Lexie glaring at him.

"We just thought you two should know first. We love living with you both, but this is just the next step in our relationship that we have to take. I hope you aren't upset with us." April explained nervously.

"Of course we aren't upset. I mean I am upset, but not at you two. At Mark. He still hasn't asked me to move in with him. I have been dropping all kinds of hints but nothing!" Lexie started rambling,

"Dude, the guy is having a baby any day now. Give him a break." Alex told her and received yet another glare. He put his hands up and turned back to Jackson and April. "I'm having for you guys. But where are we going to find two new roommates?"

"Just ask around the hospital. You are bound to find someone." Jackson shrugged. "So are we cool? No hard feelings?" he asked.

They both nodded and congratulated them after they got out of their own heads. Soon the four of them settled into the couch and finished watching the football game together just like they always did on game days. This was the part they were going to miss most, always having friends around to hang out with and something to do. But they knew they were moving on to better things and beginning to build their life together.

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I didn't get any answers on the last chapter as to when you guys would prefer updates to happen. If you have a preference please leave it in a review or else I'll just pick a day and go with it! Thanks for your continued love and support for this story. I never thought I would make it this far with so many ideas still left to use! More Calzona/Mark/Baby content coming up in the next chapter so get excited!**

 **P.S.: #JapriltheMovie is just over an hour away for me here! I am super anxious! Leave your reactions to the episode in a review once you watch! Happy Grey's Day! I'm posting this chapter today instead of waiting in honor of this episode!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **A/N: I feel like it's been so long since I've updated but it's actually only been like maybe a week? This chapter has a lot to do with Callie/baby and doesn't have a ton of Japril. That is because I wanted to get this storyline out of the way so that the next chapters after this can be all about the couple we all love! I hope this story can help get you through the tragedy of the divorce**

Jackson and April had gone off to bed together later that night and fell asleep easily. Their sleep was now suddenly interrupted by a knocking on their bedroom door. Jackson jumped up in shock and ran to the door. He cracked it open and noticed Lexie standing there anxiously.

"Lexie?" His voice was low and you could hear the sleepiness in it. "What's wrong?" He questioned concerned and quickly slipped into a shirt. He heard April stir in the bed behind him.

"What is going on?" She mumbled still half asleep but managing to roll out of bed.

"It's Callie. Mark just called. She is in labor. We have to go. Addison- Dr. Montgomery- is performing a C-section in an hour and Hunt wants all of you on standby in case of any complications." Lexie stuttered out nervously.

"Alright, just try to calm down it will be okay. Is Alex up?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just told him. Plus I am pretty sure Dr. Montgomery has been paging him about it anyway."

The next ten minutes were a blurred rush of pulling on clothes and grabbing the fastest food they could eat before leaving.

"Okay, we are ready. Let's go!" Jackson ushered Lexie out of the house and April followed behind them quickly dragging Alex with her.

"Ow! Hey watch it. I know how to walk." Alex complained and rubbed his arm once she let go.

"The baby is coming now, Alex. And if you want to get in on this surgery you have to move!" April told him as the all shoved their way into the car as quickly as they could.

They made it to the hospital with ease. There was very little traffic and Jackson navigated through the roads expertly. As soon as they were inside the building they ran to the locker room to change into scrubs. Soon they were racing upstairs to Callie's room.

"We are here. What do we need to know?" April asked Addison once they settled into the room.

"Right now they just need love and support. I am going to Callie into the OR in a few minutes and then I will just need you all on standby in case we may have missed any internal injuries due to the accident." Addison explained to them and turned to Alex. "Dr. Karev you are with me. I will need you to assist. Once I get the baby girl out I will have you take her and inspect vitals and monitor her while I double check for injuries and close. Because the baby is a few weeks early we will want to pay extra attention to any irregularities." She informed him and the family.

"Yes, of course." Alex stepped forward and looked over Callie's chart that Addison was holding in her hands. "Should I take Callie down now to get prepped?" He asked.

"Yes, please. Thank you Dr. Karev." And with that Mark and Arizona were giving Callie encouraging hugs and kisses saying things like "you'll be fine" and "our daughter will be here soon". All the friends and surgeons said their goodbyes and watched Alex wheel her out the door and down the hall.

"Mark, you and Arizona are welcome to sit in the gallery, but you know you are not allowed in the OR. Once your baby and Callie are both stable you can meet them in recovery." Addison told them before following Alex to the OR scrub room.

"I guess that is our cue." Jackson said. "Next time I see you you'll be a dad!" He clapped Mark on the back in hopes to get the nervous look off his face. It worked for a minute.

"Take care of them, Avery. And remember don't do anything I wouldn't do." The two men chuckled before Jackson turned to leave with April and Lexie.

Once they were all scrubbed and settled into the OR Addison began the C-section. Alex was right next her ready to move into action.

"I can see her. We almost got her Callie." Addison talked out loud to Callie while she worked on getting the baby safely out of Callie's body. They all heard Callie sniffle a little and knew she was crying.

With Alex's help Addison successfully got the baby out. "She's beautiful Callie. Dr. Karev, can you please cut the cord?" Alex did as he was told.

"Why isn't she crying? Is she okay?" Callie started panicking.

"Callie everything is going to be okay. Dr. Karev and our team are going to take your baby now and get her cleaned up and check her vitals." She handed the baby to Alex who quickly rushed her to the incubator to get her breathing. "And now I am going to make sure our emergency team was assembled for no reason and close you up nice and easy so you can get to recovery and see your baby soon." Addison explained everything calmly to make sure Callie understood and wasn't worried.

Addison began the process of closing Callie up when she noticed something. "Dr. Avery can you please take over for Karev I need his assistance over here." The two doctors switched places and Alex was soon seeing the same problem Addison was.

"What's going on? She hasn't cried and you two are whispering. What happened?" Callie started freaking out again.

"Callie we need to sedate you now. There was a complication and we need to go in and fix it. I promise everything will be alright." Addison told her and before the new mother could protest she was being put under.

* * *

A few hours later April was wheeling Callie up to recovery. She hadn't woken up yet but she was going to bring her to the same room as her newborn baby so when she came out of the anesthesia she could meet her daughter. Mark and Arizona were already in the room checking on the baby when she arrived.

"How's she doing?" Arizona asked as April situated the bed into place.

"There was a slight complication that Dr. Montgomery and Dr. Karev were able to get under control and fix. Callie had to be put under anesthesia so when she wakes up Dr. Montgomery will be in to explain to the three of you about the complication and the surgery as a whole. Callie should wake up soon so when she does just page Dr. Montgomery and she and Dr. Karev will be in to asses both mother and baby." April explained nicely and gave a supportive smile that they both returned despite their nervous looks.

"How is the baby, by the way? I know there was a minute there when she wasn't breathing properly but that was fixed after Dr. Avery suctioned the congestion out of her lungs." April asked and peeked down at the tiny baby girl sleeping peacefully.

"She's doing great. She's beautiful just like her mother." Arizona said happily.

"I can't wait for her to wake up and meet her. A beautiful girl deserves a name." Mark mused.

"She doesn't have a name? You three didn't pick one out?" April questioned.

"We didn't talk much about names. We had a few ideas but that was before we knew she was going to be a girl." Mark told her.

"Oh, well, I can't to hear what you come up with. Congratulations on being new parents!" April smiled and made her way towards the door. "Addison will be up to talk to you soon." She heard them say thank you before she left them alone.

* * *

Addison walked into the room right as her pager was going off.

"I have really perfect timing, don't I?" Addison said as she shut her pager off. She looked up and smiled at the family. "How are you feeling Callie?"

"Okay. A little sore, but mainly just excited to see my baby. Can I hold her?" Callie pleaded.

"You know with C-sections you can't lift anything for the first two weeks of recovery. With the extra surgery you had to undergo today I'm going to have to stretch out that time another two weeks. I'm sorry. You can hold her only if she is placed in your arms. Right now she is resting same as you so I'm going to recommend you leave her be for now. I'm sorry, I know you want to see her but it will just have to wait a little longer. Do you want to hear about your surgery?" Addison explained and to continue until Callie nodded for her to. "It turns out that your uterus had a slight tear in it from the accident. It was too small to notice before but with the strain of the C-section it became worse. Dr. Karev and I were able to get the bleeding under control and stitch it up and with recovery you will be fine. That's the good news. The bad news is that because of the injury it is unlikely that you will be able to carry any more babies to term. I am very sorry." Addison gave her the news calmly and offered a sympathetic smile.

Callie became very quiet and seemingly sank down into herself. This was not what she was expecting to hear and she certainly was not prepared for it. She didn't want to cry, or more so she couldn't seem to muster up a tear, so she just sat there silently staring past Addison. She didn't want to look at Arizona or Mark and see them giving her sad smiles. She had been given too many of those over the course of her stay at the hospital.

"Again, I am very sorry to deliver this news. We truly did everything we could, but the damage was already done. To focus on the brighter side, your baby girl is very healthy and when you are ready to name her page me and we will get the birth certificate squared away. And as soon as she wakes up you can hold her. Just be extra gentle, not because she is a newborn but because she went through the same trauma you did and is still recovering as well. I am going to step out now and let you have your time together. If you have any questions about anything I'll be here." Addison told them before she nodded at Mark and Arizona and left the room.

* * *

Elsewhere in the hospital Jackson and April were resting in an on-call room. Although the backup team was not needed in the surgery earlier they were all exhausted just from worrying about the family. Once Callie had woken up they were all able to breathe a sigh of relief which was when Jackson suggested him and April go take a break.

They were snuggling together in the bottom bunk when April suddenly sat straight up.

Jackson sat up slowly and looked at her. "What is it?" He asked confused at her sudden movement.

"Because of everything that happened today I completely forgot about calling Lisa!" April retrieved her lab coat from the floor and found her phone in one of the pockets. "I need to call before we lose out on the perfect place." She was scrolling through her contacts.

"Oh yeah! You scared me though. I thought something was wrong." Jackson chuckled and laid back down comfortably.

"Lisa? Hi! This is April Kepner, I am calling to let you know that Jackson and I have chosen our apartment. We wanted to let you know right away so we don't miss out on it. We are ready to put a deposit down on the Bellview apartment we looked at." She paused and listened to Lisa on the other end. "That's great! Yes, we can meet with you tomorrow afternoon. Thank you. Goodbye." She ended the call and smiled down at Jackson.

"We got the apartment?"

"We got the apartment! We just have to meet with her tomorrow to put down a deposit and sign the lease and all that official stuff. Then we will get the keys and the place will be ours to move into." April told him excitedly.

"I love seeing you this happy. And it only gets better knowing that it's about living with me." Jackson pulled her back down next to him and kissed her. When they pulled away he continued in a low voice. "You know we are going to be living together, alone. We are going to have to break in the new place if you know what I mean." He winked at her and she blushed.

"I can't wait for that." She whispered back to him.

 **A/N: Okay that's it for this chapter. It took me a long time to write because it's more of a filler/wrap up chapter. I wanted to wrap up the Callie/baby storyline before I moved on to Jackson and April living together. I have something planned for them and it will probably be brought up in the next chapter, if not then the one after next. But for sure the next chapter will have some quality Japril!** **Thanks for everyone who is still reviewing! I love and appreciate all of my readers no matter what!**


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